Triggers
by JayneDancing
Summary: A simple illness cripples Atlantis, major characters are trapped physically or out of their comfort zone. McKay/Keller Teyla/Kanaan Pre Dex/Banks Hints of Sheps missed romances. Not beta'd. After Prodigal, Brain Storm, Infection before Identity.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

Only two people noticed at first. One was Mr Woolsey and the other was Teyla but they both, according to their natures, kept their own counsel.

At first, it was simply that Ronon didn't seek Jennifer out, that he wasn't her shadow anymore. Apart from that, he was still himself.

Until Dr McKay invited Dr Keller to accompany him to Earth, until the day that Ronon snapped, "who cares" to John's musings on when and if Rodney was ever going to make his move.

When Rodney and Jennifer came back from Earth oozing purring contentment things changed and people really started to notice.

Ronon sparred more, was rarely seen in the mess hall, spent more time alone and if the shadows under his eyes were anything to go by slept a lot less.

Mr Woolsey observed him with distant concern, watching for any impact on his performance.

Teyla watched him with a mixture of sympathy and frustration.

John, knowing that he had the world's worst record when it came to women choose to mind his own business and let the big man get over it in his own time. He did start looking around for single women that might suit the Satedan, concentrating on the female military personnel.

Of the three of them, of all the people on Atlantis, Teyla was the only one who realised Ronon wasn't broken hearted.

He was angry.


	2. Chapter 2

_The first part of the lesson..._

_Teyla and Ronon circled each other, Teyla's movements neat and considered, Ronon prowling._

_When her Bantos rods crashed down on his he knew this was different. This was not just sparing. She span while his ears were still ringing from the force of her first attack and struck him in the ribs._

_She hit him again, stars popped and blossomed. _

_He'd never felt so weak. He told himself, somewhere in the depths of her DNA the wraith was stirring._


	3. Chapter 3

Part One – Before the Mission

(i)

It was Private Chopansky the first time. He came through the gate pale and clammy and barely made it to the infirmary before he doubled over with cramps.

Dr Saul Morris, a recent addition to the Atlantis medical team quickly diagnosed a stomach virus. It was somewhat atypical, there was no vomiting or diarrhoea, just vicious cramps, dizziness and if Chopansky was to believed a strong desire for a speedy death. The symptoms had a regular cycle, twenty minutes of simple dizziness and generally feeling dreadful followed by ten minutes of hideous cramps fading off into a short period of feeling better before it all began again.

Dr Morris put Chopansky on a drip, a combination of saline and a careful choice of painkiller, there was nothing else to be done.

Most such virus' had an incubation period of 48 hours and Chopansky had only been off world for twenty, Dr Morris assumed it was just something the airman had picked up on base. The worst was over within twenty hours and the Private was back on light duty in 36.

Of course, he reported it to Dr Keller, catching her on one of her trips through the infirmary from her lab, driven away from her research by hunger or exhaustion. Jennifer, seeing no reason to doubt his diagnosis simply e-mailed an alert to all medical staff and department heads and put it out of her mind.

Then three members of a four-man team came through the gate with the same illness.

This time Jennifer did a thorough investigation herself, though the illness was a virus the team members had caught it by ingestion.

Both teams had been to the planet Tipika where they had all eaten ceremonial "bread" that the Tipikans shared with visitors. The "bread" was made from a type of millet, ground to a powder and mixed with milk. The glutinous mixture, set into small slabs, looked and tasted a little like corn bread. Unfortunately, the millet was infested with microscopic parasites that carried the virus as a self-defence mechanism.

In the wild, the organisms crawled to the top of a blade of grass or plant, laid their eggs and died. Once eaten by an animal, the eggs hatched releasing the virus and shutting down the animal's digestive system until they reached their next stage of development. Eventually the animal's natural functions deposited the organisms on the ground where they continued with their natural life cycle.

Of course, the parasites had no way of determining whether they were going to be eaten by the local equivalent of a goat or a human being. A little communication with the Tipikans revealed that it was very rare for a them to suffer any ill effects. Dr Keller had to assume they had developed their own immunity.

Since SA1 was due to visit Tipika for trade negotiations regarding some medicinal herbs Jennifer directed Dr Morris to develop an inoculation. Blood samples from the Tipikans would have been an advantage but the Tribal elders seemed upset by the idea and since Jennifer, subtly overseeing his work was confident that Dr Morris could manage without them Mr Woolsey decided not to push. She didn't blame Dr Morris for not realising the true nature of the infection; the Pegasus galaxy had a habit of throwing curveballs at even the most experienced.

Dr Morris took three days, well within the deadline given. Jennifer reviewed his test results and was satisfied. Other than directing samples to be kept in case of further problems, she released the inoculation and informed Mr Woolsey that the mission could go ahead with reasonable confidence. Mr Woolsey was pleased, John Sheppard was delighted and Jennifer was relieved.

So, that was probably the end of that.


	4. Chapter 4

Part One Before the Mission (ii)

"Rodney, there is some strange fluctuation in the power relays for the com system."

"So," snapped McKay, without looking up from his computer screen.

Radek Zelenka let a small hiss of irritation go through his clenched teeth. "Parts of the city are without com. Then it comes back, then it goes. The technicians cannot find a fault. I think we should find out why."

"Great, good, you do that." Rodney scowled at his computer screen. A certain set of calculations for improving the energy efficiency of the shields was giving him an enormous headache. It was a long-term project, something that expedition leader Richard Woolsey was pushing for since the energy consumption of raising the shields was far in excess of the energy output. He'd airily said he'd have it done in four weeks. It was power consumption; power had to go somewhere, how hard could it be? He started chewing his bottom lip, it was in these moments that he really wanted to e-mail his sister Jeanie, but the last time he'd done that, well, it hadn't gone well.

He became aware that Zelenka was still hovering behind him with an impatient expression. "What?" he snapped.

"The _comm. _system Rodney, the fault has so far occurred only in outlying areas of the city but I do not think Mr Woolsey would be pleased if the comm. failed just as the Wraith attacked."

Rodney screwed his eyes shut and counted to ten very fast; Jennifer said it would help him keep his temper. So far it hadn't worked; he was probably doing it wrong.

"Just take whoever you need and _go!_ I have way too much to do to be bothered with trivialities. I've got Woolsey harassing me over this shield thing, some geologist dumping pebbles here," McKay gestured at a small tray with three tiny pebbles on the table beside him, "because of weird energy readings and my girlfriend," a trace of smugness stole into McKay's expression "has this bizarre idea that we should speak to each other for more than sixty seconds a day _and_ has promised to make my life a living hell if we don't go to movie night which starts in," he looked at his watch, "actually started…" His expression changed to one of blank horror, "twenty minutes ago… I am so screwed." He span back to his computer, intending to shut it down, run and think of an excuse that Woolsey would swallow in the morning. His elbow caught a cup of coffee sitting cold, scummy and forgotten at his elbow, which fell over, sloshing over the tray of despised geological samples.

Something in the tray started to fizz, then buzz on a rising note.

When his spine touched the laboratory wall Rodney realised that both he and Zelenka had instinctively backed away. Which was just as well, the buzz rose to a shriek and they both ducked just in time to avoid the ballistic shards of a mug that had once said, "Worlds best Uncle".

When they finally had the nerve to look up there was a two foot hole in the table top, Rodney's lap top was black and smoking and buried in the ceiling and the tray of samples was no where to be seen, apparently vaporised. Otherwise, the rest of the lab was untouched. Another laptop, barely two feet away from the smoking hole that marked the trays original position spun slowly to a stop but was otherwise unmarked.

"What happened?" asked Radek hazily.

Rodney blinked at the hole in the desk. "The pebbles exploded." He peered through the hole, other than some wood splinters buried in the floor there was nothing. He bent down and pulled out a splinter with a grunt, it was six inches long and only the top two inches had been visible. "In a very violent but localised way," he continued. He looked around wildly, "where did that geologist go?"

Zelenka blinked at him, "they were not here when I arrived." He placed a comforting hand on Rodney's shoulder, "you cannot have exploded him Rodney."

McKay shook Radek's hand off, "I know that, look at the blast pattern, they might have been stabbed by a pottery shard but completely vaporised… please." He screwed up his face in thought, "come to think of it I think _she_ left over an hour ago."

Zelenka took a deep, calming breath, "Why don't you just call her?"

"Because I don't remember her name," said McKay impatiently.


	5. Chapter 5

(iii)

Jennifer Keller was not the most self-confident person in the world; she was the first to admit it.

She'd always been the upstart kid in school, skipping grades, being the brainiac and though her father had always assured her at length she was beautiful, well, that was what fathers did. Her peers, if you could call them that because they were usually two years older and quite often resentful that she was smarter than them hadn't seemed to think so.

Things had changed in medical school. Though she was still plagued by doubts about belonging she was convinced by a reasonable level of male interest including a forty five year old, married Heart Surgeon that she wasn't ugly.

Maybe even pretty.

In a girl next door way, but still.

Now there was Rodney. They _fitted._ Socially her comparative confidence balanced out his almost complete lack. Professionally his assurance bolstered hers.

When he told her she could do anything she set her mind to she actually believed it.

Handsome princes on white chargers could go jump of a cliff, this was working, this was great, this was making her happy. Deep down, glowing on the inside, enough to get her through the days when he was so damn annoying she could strangle him happy.

Or the days that she just didn't see him because either one or both of them were trapped in their labs, Rodney by inclination, Jennifer by her sense of responsibility.

But still, it was good, as good as it got.

But underneath the glow there was a little niggardly lump of discomfort and doubt.

Jennifer Keller did not like hurting people and she was sure she had, but when Ronon had completely denied his interest in her she'd felt silly and confused and somehow vain.

Because come on, what on earth would a guy who looked like he'd stepped down from a plinth in some temple to a warrior god want with her?

Yet she still knew. Never mind the almost kiss that could be written off as a reaction to confinement and shared confidences, even Woolsey had seen it and though Ronon didn't avoid coming to the Infirmary when he needed it he wasn't easy with her anymore and she never saw him in the mess hall, or anywhere that he just used to _be_.

When they were around each other he glared and spoke in monosyllables.

She knew exactly when things had changed. Before she'd gone to Earth Ronon had been distant, but after she came back, after it was obvious to everyone that she and Rodney were an item, that they were happy, it was like the difference between an autumn breeze and an Antarctic Gale.

She knew she'd made the right choice and she was happy, but Ronon was just slightly taking the shine away and the fact he wouldn't acknowledge it was somehow making it worse. It didn't give her a chance to make it right.

And so it went on, until she almost walked into him in the hallway outside the Mess hall after a snatched lunch, her head full of the preparation she needed to do with the medical team going to Tipeka.

She had to blink a couple of times before the truth of him came into focus.

He was covered in bruises. His lower lip was puffy and scabbed and his right eye was almost closed. His arms were covered in black and blue banded contusions.

"Oh my god will you never learn!" She grabbed his arm awkwardness forgotten in professional concern, "have you been to the infirmary?"

"No." He grinned down at her. Grinned! All the barriers she'd felt between them had just gone. She was so downright befuddled that she just let him go and he went, loping off into the Mess Hall oozing… contentment.

She stood there for a second. Obviously she didn't have to worry about Ronon any more, which was great, but…

What the hell had happened to him?


	6. Chapter 6

(iv)

"We have to get more of those pebbles."

McKay was fidgeting around in front of Woolsey's desk. Mr Woolsey was leaning back in his chair, one eyebrow up looking unimpressed with the idea.

"As I understand it three very small pebbles got wet and blew up a lab."

"Exactly!"

The expidition leader repressed a sigh, "It may have escaped your notice but water is not a rare commodity in these parts."

McKay rolled his eyes, "so! We keep them in a water proof box." He waved one hand dismissively, "the energy output from that tiny sample was astonishing and even more astonishingly localised."

Mr Woolsey pressed his finger tips together, "We have visited Tipeka, the planet that those samples came from twice now. Once on a simple meet and greet, followed by a basic scientific survey. On both occasions there was considerable socialisation between the teams and the inhabitants of the local village including the tribal leaders. On _no_ occasion was there any mention of exploding rocks."

McKay swept that away that with another wave, "maybe they haven't discovered them themselves."

Woolsey carefully swallowed his irritation, Dr McKay's belief in everyone else's idiocy grated after a while. "I think that's unlikely." he said evenly, "as far as I know it rains there regularly," he gave a little dry smile and pressed his finger tips together. "However," he pondered a moment, "I assume you are thinking that this material might have weapons applications?"

"Weapons, energy production, who knows." Said McKay impatiently, "it might cure the common cold for all I know and I won't unless you let me get some more!"

Mr Woolsey was left with a messy and unpleasant image of someone exploding mucus out of their nose and squashed down another sigh, "very well, I assume that you wish to go yourself."

"Yes,"

"And how are you progressing on the shield energy consumption?" The mission commander raised an interrogative eyebrow.

Rodney's shoulders sagged, "that's more of a long term project."

"Which I indicated should be first priority unless anything urgent came up, not to mention you insisted it would be completed by," Woolsey checked the calendar on his computer screen, "yesterday I believe."

"This _is _urgent," insisted Rodney, carefully ignoring the point about the deadline.

"Perhaps, perhaps not," Richard Woolsey stared at McKay impassively; it was one of his most irritating habits. The man used silence like a club.

Rodney opened his mouth, several rebuttals occurred to him but every one of them was whiny so he closed it again. He gave Woolsey a pleading look.

Mr Woolsey turned to his computer screen, "very well, the rest of your team are going anyway. The planet has some intriguing herbal medicines and there are opportunities for trade."

"Great! What planet is it by the way?"

"Tipika."

"Never heard of it," said Rodney on his way out the door.

"Please insure that Dr Zelenka continues to work on the com situation in your absence." Mr Woolsey called after him. Rodney made no sign he heard and Woolsey made a mental note to call Zelenka for a progress report himself.


	7. Chapter 7

part One Before the Mission (v)

John Sheppard did a double take, "what the hell happened to you?"

Ronon didn't answer him; he dropped a tray groaning with food onto the table and for no particular reason smiled at his corn bread. He hadn't felt this good in months, maybe years.

John eyed him warily; Ronon was relaxed, hungry, smiling yet covered in bruises. An alarming yet faintly titillating idea popped into his head and then straight out of his mouth. "Who was she?"

Ronon frowned at him, "Teyla." He said, stating the obvious, what other female on Atlantis could cause him that much damage?

"What…? You and Teyla… You…?" John dropped his spoon into his oatmeal feeling faintly sick.

Ronon stared at him blankly, then disgust spread across his face. He dropped his chunk of cornbread, leant back and glared at John, arms crossed.

The message was loud and clear, John raised his hands in surrender, "Sorry, sorry, don't ask me why I thought… Because of course there's Kaanan and you never… brother sister maybe…" He wriggled, "Blame it on watching Worf and Jadzia get it on."

Ronon frowned, "Who?"

John stirred his coffee, "yeah, you missed the Deep Space Nine marathon last week. Never mind, so," he found a bright smile and plastered it on his face, "Teyla beat you up and you're happy about it. Any particular reason why? Apart from a general love of violence?"

Ronon shrugged and wolfed down a tub of orange Jell-O before answering, "She said she was beating some sense into me."

"Uh huh." John waited for more, "so it worked?" He prompted.

"Yes," said Ronon, spraying crumbs.

John brushed breadstick morsels off his shirt, "well you definitely got your appetite back."


	8. Chapter 8

Part One Before the Mission (vi)

Teyla rolled her shoulders experimentally and winced, she'd had to use every ounce of strength and skill in her fight with Ronon. Cool hands encircled her neck and she sighed in contentment as Kaanan's gentle fingers started to stroke and then to massage. No words passed between them, he simply worked from the base of her skull, over her shoulders and down each arm.

"Did he hurt you?" He was not angry, simply concerned.

Teyla rubbed her check against the back of his hand, "No," she said simply. The pain she was feeling was the natural aftermath of such a vigorous fight; therefore, in her mind Ronon had not hurt her. The fact that he had barely touched her with the Bantos rods was in truth a matter of concern, or would be if there was no improvement. But she was hopeful.

Teyla looked over her shoulder and smiled up at Kaanan. In Teyla's opinion Ronon deserved to be happy more than most. She had as yet no idea how that would be achieved but at least his feet were on the right path.


	9. Chapter 9

(vii)

Someone had placed a seat on Richard Woolsey's new favourite balcony. It had a small table attached to the arm, perfect for drinks and reports.

That morning he had a large mug of coffee, a stack of mission reports, a raisin and cinnamon bagel and a wonderful view to enjoy. As breakfasts went it was pretty good.

A noise behind him made him jump and drop half his bagel. His Karma obviously wasn't living up to his mood, it landed butter side down on his thigh and flopped to the floor, also butter side down.

"Damn."

"Sorry."

Woolsey looked up from rubbing butter of his uniform with a thin paper napkin shredding faster than it was cleaning. Ronon was looming behind him in the shadow of the doorway.

"Not at all," he said formally, he picked up his fallen breakfast and wistfully dropped it on his plate. "Can I help you?" he asked, wiping his fingers.

"Needed some air."

"Ah," Richard gave the Satedan an assessing look, "if you want some solitude I'd nearly finished my breakfast."

"No," Ronon shrugged.

Woolsey checked his watch, "Shouldn't you be heading to the mission briefing for the trip to Tipeka? I should be on my way myself."

Ronon grunted irritably, "McKay and Zelenka have been arguing for twenty minutes about pebbles and the com system."

Woolsey grimaced sympathetically, "all the same…"

"Lorne's going instead. I've asked for a couple of days…" Ronon paused as if he was searching for the word, "vacation?" He lifted an eyebrow, asking for confirmation.

Richard nodded briefly, considering. Strictly speaking John Sheppard was in charge of personnel deployment on a day to day basis. Still, as Expedition Commander he passed the Tipeka mission under mental review before deciding that Ronon's presence was hardly necessary. Lorne in fact might be an advantage; the mission required the kind of diplomacy where "nice doggie" was more appropriate than a big "rock." Aside from the stomach upsets there was nothing to worry about and Dr Keller's team seemed to be on top of that.

He nodded once, "I see no harm in that."

Ronon didn't seem to be listening; he yawned and stretched moving out of the shadows to lean on the balustrade.

"Good lord!" In the sunlight Woolsey could see Ronon's patchwork of bruises. "Is that why you require some time off?"

"No, sparing." Ronon replied economically. He was getting bored with comments about his bruises, everyone in the briefing room had commented on them, at length and with attempts at humour, except Teyla of course.

"Really," Richard frowned, "since you never seem to incapacitate yourself seriously I suppose I cannot complain, but…" He pulled himself up short; Ronon was giving him one of those looks. These days Woolsey didn't find them intimidating as such, but they did make him think about the worth of what he was saying before he actually said it. "Yes, well, perhaps it's just as well you aren't going, don't want you scaring anyone," he smiled blandly and got up, carefully balancing his stack of reports. "Enjoy your time off."

He was halfway through the door when Ronon pulled him up short with an incredibly unexpected question.

"You ever been married?"

Richard's brain froze for a second or two, "yes," he finally said.

"Did she die?"

"No, we were divorced," he looked at Ronon enquiringly, "are you familiar with the term?"

"You undid the marriage, John did too."

Feeling that this must be going somewhere Richard walked back to the chair and put his reports on the seat, holding onto his coffee he leant against a wall and waited. The silence stretched and he was just starting to feel foolish when Ronon spoke.

"We didn't get married on Sateda."

Woolsey frowned, "do you mean you personally didn't get married to someone specifically?"

Ronon turned around and leaned on the Balustrade again. "No, no-one got married. Not for centuries, not since the Wraith came because it was decided not to make promises we couldn't keep."

"Because you couldn't promise to be together forever?" Richard clarified.

Ronon nodded, lapsing into silence.

Richard waited. Though the members of the Atlantis mission might not believe it this situation was not completely alien to him. He'd always maintained a certain distance from his co-workers that occasionally led them to view him in the light of a confessor or therapist. He'd always assumed it was a result of his legal training, eliciting confidence was a part of the skill set. He knew that if Ronon really wanted to get something off his chest then the best way to encourage him was to keep his peace and wait.

"There was someone I wasn't married to." Ronon finally said.

Richard nodded.

"She died in the Wraith attack on Sateda."

"I'm sorry," Richard said simply and let the silence drift again.

Ronon stared off into the distance, "We were together since we were half grown. The longer we were together…" Ronon shrugged.

Richard wasn't sure that Ronon was actually talking to _him_. He, Richard, was just there.

"It wasn't going well, she was a healer I was a soldier. We thought we could be together through everything, I cared for her more than anyone, but … we weren't children anymore," he shrugged, "I'd moved back to the Barracks when the Wraith arrived."

"And then she died." Richard finished for him. "You must feel guilty, even though it wasn't your fault."

Ronon simply shrugged.

"Has there been anyone else?" Mr Woolsey prompted.

Ronon shook his head, "Even if I'd wanted it wouldn't have been fair." He shifted as if the memories were making him uncomfortable in his skin.

Richard managed a surreptitious glance at his watch. The well being of the expedition members was his concern, but he had the mission briefing and he was due to contact Stargate command for the daily report in thirty five minutes. If it had been almost anyone else he might have suggested a session with a therapist. Dr Goodhall had been on staff for a little while and seemed to have settled in well, but, Richard considered the man in front of him, there was no way he could imagine Ronon sitting down in the taupe confines of the Doctors office and bearing his soul.

He chewed the inside of his cheek, a good lawyer and he supposed a good therapist knew when to push a little.

"I noticed you were spending a lot of time with Doctor Keller a little while back."

Ronon dipped his head without making it a clear affirmative but Mr woolsey choose to take it that way.

"I also notice that Dr Keller is now romantically involved with Doctor McKay."

Another un-specific head dip.

"I can understand that that might be difficult, after I separated from my wife we still worked in the same office for a while."

"Doesn't matter."

Woolsey frowned again, Ronon really did sound and his body language confirmed that he was okay with Dr Keller and McKay's relationship. Which left him confused, if that wasn't the issue what was? He took another quick look at his watch and stood. "I'm sorry Ronon I have to go, but if you wish to talk to me again I usually come here for breakfast." He got up and brushed the last lingering crumbs from his pant legs. "Perhaps it would have been better if no-one had put a chair here, then I wouldn't get so messy." He saw Ronon was looking puzzled and he smiled, "I used to eat over the balcony, the only sufferers for my crumbs were sea birds."

Ronon nodded, half smiling, still pre-occupied.

"Feel free to use the chair."


	10. Chapter 10

(viii)

Ronon was sprawling in Richard Woolsey's chair when Amelia Banks appeared.

"Oh," she paused, "I was looking for Mr Woolsey."

Ronon rolled his head in her direction, he was feeling really relaxed for the first time in weeks and it was making him floppy. "He left about five minutes ago, said he had to be somewhere."

Amelia frowned thoughtfully, "Which means he's probably on his way to the Gateroom." Her face lightened, "never mind, by the time I found him he'd be there or called in. There's something wrong with the comm." She explained, "it's down in this section of the city, he often comes here for breakfast so I said I'd come by this way on my way off shift." Her eyes dropped to the chair; she looked as if she was going to say something but thought better of it, nodded at Ronon and turned to go.

Ronon had a moment of inspiration. "You put the chair here."

Amelia turned back, a flash of surprise in her eyes, "Yes, how did you know?"

Ronon shrugged, "The way you looked at it."

She gave him one of her steady, clear eyed looks "I'd rather you didn't tell him."

Ronon thought about that for a moment or two, "Okay. Why?"

Amelia made a gesture encompassing the balcony and the view, "I used to come here sometimes and I found him here one morning eating a sandwich over the balustrade and reading a report. He never seems to want company so I left without him knowing I was there. I spotted him here again a few days later trying to drink a coffee, eat a banana and read another report. He put his coffee down and tried to open his banana with his teeth while reading and kicked his coffee over."

"So you put the chair here, still don't get why you don't want him to know."

Amelia's face remained composed but Ronon noticed her weight shift ever so slightly from foot to foot "His first few weeks were difficult. He chats to me sometimes when he's in the Gateroom because I'm there and no-one else seems to listen to him outside of the missions. I think if he knew it would make him uncomfortable. He might think I did it out of pity."

Ronon thought he might just understand what she meant; anyway, it wasn't any of his business. "Okay. Can I use the chair?"

She smiled at him, a wide, genuine smile that made her eyes light and bright.

"Of course, I use it myself sometimes, just not at breakfast time."

After she'd left it occurred to Ronon that she was the first person that morning, other than Teyla, who hadn't mentioned his injuries.


	11. Chapter 11

_The second part of the lesson..._

_Crash._

_Her Bantos rod on his, he felt the impact all the way down his arm and it rattled his teeth._

"_You do not eat enough."_

_She duck and spun, hooking his feet out from under him. When they'd first sparred, shortly after he arrived on Atlantis, she must have gone easy on him._

"_You do not sleep enough."_

_He bounced up in time for Teyla's rod to land across his shoulder blades and send him staggering._

"_You do not talk to your friends."_

_She blocked his attack and kicked him firmly in the belly._

"_Just because a woman chooses another man, this thing, this resentment consumes you and makes you slow."_

_She danced away from his clumsy attack._

"_If Michael had attacked today would I still have my son?"_

_A blow fell on his arm._

"_Soon you will be of no use to us."_

_That blow fell on his pride._


	12. Chapter 12

Part Two – The Morning of the Mission (i)

Ronon was already bored. Twenty-four hours of nothing particular to do when the rest of his team was busy preparing for a mission and he was climbing the walls.

It seemed everyone was busy, not that there was a huge number of people in the city that he wanted to hang out with but he couldn't even find a willing victim among the military personnel to spar.

He was beginning to suspect that John was getting his revenge for his taking some time off by _ensuring_ he was bored. There was something suspicious in the way people suddenly needed to be elsewhere when he entered the gym. Of course, a lot of people did that anyway.

He ate everything he could lay his hands on in the mess hall, until the chef came out of his kitchen and informed him sternly that no one required third helpings to live, especially at breakfast and he'd be grateful if Ronon would go away and leave some food for everyone else.

So, once his food had settled, he went for a long run around the city, slowing to a walk only as he got back to the central tower. Without conscious thought, he gravitated towards the Gateroom. John and the team were due to leave shortly and at least there would be some activity.

The Gateroom was in fact more than usually busy. Since Ronon had missed the mission briefing and hadn't really paid attention to what McKay and Zelenka were arguing about he didn't know that in addition to SA1 a full scientific team and a small medical team consisting of Dr Cole and Nurse Yoshida, plus enough military personnel to ensure their safety were going as well. As a result the floor was strewn with equipment crates, various people seemed to be running around in a panic and above all the chatter could be heard Rodney McKay berating Zelenka yet again and getting shriller by the minute.

The most peaceful spot seemed to be by gate control where Amelia Banks was serenely going about her business.

She noticed him coming and looked up, greeting him with a slight, absent smile and immediately turning her attention back to what she was doing. Ronon leaned against her station and watched the hub-bub happen all around him.

Finally Mr Woolsey came down from his office with John, Teyla and Lorne in tow and somehow their presence created an immediate calm. The crates were marshalled into some kind of order and it appeared for a moment that the mission would begin on time.

Then Dr Keller arrived with an injection of anti viral medicine for Dr McKay who apparently had not turned up for his scheduled appointment. She saw Ronon as she came in and started slightly, giving him an uncertain smile before making a beeline for Rodney.

Five minutes later after a pointless argument that Woolsey settled by ordering McKay to obey he was injected, the gate was dialled and the team departed, John grinning at Ronon as he left.

Woolsey, left in the middle of the gate room floor sighed and rubbed his neck, he turned and came straight to Amelia, nodding at Ronon on the way.

"Amelia I understand you have some experience with Military issue Weather stations."

Amelia's eyes widened slightly, "Yes sir, I worked with Virtacom on behalf of the air force before I was approached for the Atlantis mission, they manufacture the W 480's that we use."

"Good." The expedition commander gave her a tight smile, "Dr Zelenka informs me that one of the Weather stations on the mainland has ceased communicating with Atlantis, since a large proportion of the science department is off world and the rest is trying to deal with the shield generators or the com system, well, perhaps you'd enjoy a little field trip. It should only take a few hours."

"Thank you sir." Amelia smiled in genuine pleasure.

"I'll clear it with Chuck," he half turned away then spun back, obviously remembering something. "You'll need someone to go with you, the weather station in question is on the North West Peninsular, apparently there is quite a lot of animal life there and until someone completes a full biological survey we have no idea if any of it is dangerous."

"I'll go."

Mr Woolsey examined Ronon over the top of his glasses, "Not that that isn't an excellent solution but aren't you supposed to be on Vacation for a few days?"

Ronon shrugged eloquently.

"I see," said Mr Woolsey, repressing a smile "very well," he turned back to Amelia, "at your own convenience Miss Banks." He paused, obviously puzzled, Amelia had tensed the moment Ronon had said he would go and the expidition commander had quite obviously detected it. He looked her up and down silently, seeing if she had anything to say but Amelia seemed pre-occupied with her station again. He glanced at Ronon, opened his mouth, shut it and appartently decided to let it drop. "I think I will go and get some breakfast." He nodded to them both and disappeared in the direction of the mess hall.

"Can you meet me in the Jumper Bay in two hours?" Amelia asked coolly.

Ronon frowned, she was looking at him in her usual impassive way but there was something frosty in it. If Ronon was reading her correctly she didn't want him along and it irritated him. They hadn't exactly spent a lot of time together but he'd spoken to her, or at least nodded at her a little more often since Michael's abortive attempt to kidnap Teyla and her baby, in fact he'd looked out for her in the gym, wanting to see her moves again.

Not that he'd ever considered it but he'd assumed that she didn't dislike him. She'd spoken to him quite naturally the day before so why did she look like she'd swallowed ice cubes now?

Whatever her problem was he'd told Woolsey he would go so he nodded curtly and left for his quarters. He might not pay much attention to the Scientists but he did know that the Northern Peninsular would be cold. He would need his coat.


	13. Chapter 13

Part Two The Morning of he Mission (ii)

In the Tipikan village everyone sat in circles. John, Teyla and Rodney were in the centre with the four tribal elders.

The scientists and medical personnel were in the next circle with the artisans, mothers and children. The final circle was made up of Atlantis military personnel and the tribal warriors and hunters both male and female.

There was a gap in each one that allowed a woman with a platter to approach first the centre and successive rings, giving a hunk of ceremonial bread to each person.

It took a long time. Only when every person was served and the elders had chanted long and hard did they eat.

John thought it tasted like a dry, light cornbread, bland but pleasant enough.

Everybody ate then the warriors jumped up, whooping and hollering. The mothers and artisans pounded the ground with their feet and trilled.

Then it all stopped, with smiles and slaps on the back for the Atlantis people they had been sitting with all but the Elder Tipikans dispersed.

Sheppard took some time to disperse his people, sending Lorne and another soldier off after the Warriors who were apparently planning a little hunting. John wished he were going with them; McKay was practically exploding with impatience, dying to talk about pebbles. Sheppard switched his face to diplomatic smile and tried to pay attention.


	14. Chapter 14

Part Two Morning of the Mission (iii)

Mindful of the com issues Woolsey took a hand held communicator with him to breakfast. Since he'd been especially busy with reports the night before he'd had nothing but a sandwich for dinner, so he took a substantial meal out onto his favourite balcony.

He settled in what he was beginning to think of as his chair and laid out his bottle of water, small coffee, apple, orange, cream cheese and ham bagel and one of the Chef's evilly addictive chocolate brownies on the little table attached to the arm. Enjoying the sight of them sitting there, full of promise he wriggled down in his seat and took a few minutes just to enjoy the fresh air and blue sky.

Just as he was reaching for his coffee there was a shushing noise behind him. He looked around just in time to see a door he didn't even know was there hissing shut.

He blinked at it for a second or two; it appeared he was trapped on the balcony. One hand groped for his hand held communicator but before he found it there was a strange, rough squawking sound from the direction of the balcony rail.

It was a bird, an alarmingly big, sharp beaked, hunched shoulder thing that reminded him uncomfortably of a vulture.

His groping hand changed direction and closed around the apple. Instinctually he threw it, clipping the bird on the shoulder.

It responded by screeching irritably and shuffling along its perch. Other than that it did nothing, just stared at him.

Keeping his movements slow and unthreatening Woolsey reached for his communicator again. The bird seemed un-fussed about this, though it watched each movement carefully.

"Woolsey to gate room,"

"This is Chuck. Is the com out again sir?"

Richard realised he hadn't even tried his ear piece, "Actually I don't know, it doesn't matter at the moment. I'm trapped on a Balcony between the East pier and the science labs. A door shut cutting me off and there is no activation panel on this side."

Chuck's voice was sharp and clear over the com. "Sorry to hear that sir, probably a de-pressurisation door, I'll get a technician to you in a few minutes; I have your location now."

"Thank you Chuck," Woolsey considered whether he wanted to mention the bird. "Also, can you contact the science department and see who's handling the survey of the indigenous wildlife. An ornithological specimen is eyeing me hungrily."

"Certainly Mr Woolsey," Richard could hear him strangling a grin even down the com line. What was it about hearing your boss in difficulties that everyone liked so much?

"Woolsey out," Richard considered his next move, instinct and the occasional wildlife programme he'd seen told him he should stay as still as possible. He got comfortable slowly, breathed slowly and wished he'd managed to eat some breakfast before all this had happened.

His stomach growled, the bird cocked its head on one side and considered the sound curiously.


	15. Chapter 15

Part Two The Day of the Mission (iv)

John Sheppard was looking at a hill side, the slope covered in loose gravel, patches of soil, the odd bush and an occasional patch of larger rocks and small boulders was apparently the source of the exploding pebbles.

As far as John was following the conversation, the pebbles were rare and hard to spot. Jenp the most talkative of the elders explained that they were mentioned in the scrolls that recorded the village's history dating back over six hundred years. The villagers had never found a use for them; it was simply known that from time to time the hillside exploded a little bit. Other than discouraging their children from playing there if it looked like rain the villagers didn't do anything about it.

Dr Nasari, the geologist that Rodney hadn't exploded asked why they hadn't mentioned the rocks to the original science team of which she had been a member.

Jenp seemed puzzled by the idea, why would he mention the exploding rocks? Exploding rocks were normal, _rare_ but normal. Dr Nasari and the rest of her team had asked about _unusual_ things.

The doctor opened her mouth, shut it and went off to take energy readings from the slope in hope of finding a sample.

McKay, Teyla and John looked up the slope.

"What do you think?" asked John.

McKay raised his binoculars to his eyes, "There has to be something up there."

"Such as?"

"Perhaps this planet was the site of an Ancient laboratory," said Teyla, "or Wraith," she added.

"We've never come across mention of this substance in the database," said Rodney. He lowered his binoculars. I think we have to go up there; maybe we should go back to Atlantis and get a jumper.

John considered the hillside for a moment, "do we know if any of the villagers has been up there lately?"

"Jenp says not," replied Teyla, "not only do they believe that it would be foolish to climb a hill that might explode at any moment they also believe that the dead live inside the hills. Once a Tipikan dies his soul is supposed to join his ancestors there. To walk up is to take your soul there before the body has finished with it."

"So what's supposed to happen?" asked McKay warily.

"They say a soul can go up the hill but it cannot go down. A man might climb the hill but if he came down again he would be outcast."

"What about us?" Asked John, "I mean Rodney's itching to get up there but I don't want the Tipikan's to treat us like Zombies when we come down."

"Jenp told me that we may do as we please, we have been through the Stargate, which they also believe steals the soul." Said Teyla, smiling.

John snorted, "They sure believe a lot of wacky things about their souls." He frowned up the hill, "What I don't get is there's a rock that explodes in water," John made a vague motion in the air, "it's ridiculous."

Rodney blinked at him, disbelieving. "Didn't your chemistry teacher drop magnesium into water when you were in school?"

John thought back, "I guess so, I remember a bright white light but I was busy, Carrie Lawrence was my lab partner." He said with a reminiscent grin.

"Yes, well," Rodney checked the readings on his tablet, "think of Strontium, _extremely_ reactive in water."

John snorted, "You'd think the whole planet would explode." he said more to Teyla than Rodney who gave him a poisonous glare.

"Are we going up there or not?" snapped the Doctor.

John pondered the entertainment value of yanking McKay's tail a little more but one of Teyla's eyebrows was raising, he shrugged, "Okay,"

Rodney made a pleased noise, "I'll radio for a jumper," he turned back for the gate with a bouncy gait.

John held up a hand, "I don't think that's necessary, it looks like an easy climb," he squinted up the hill.

Rodney froze, jaw dropping, "Easy!" he squeaked, "Loose and possibly exploding pebbles, land slides, big rocks falling from above, falls…"

Sheppard looked up at the cloudless sky, then grinned at Rodney, putting on his sunglasses, "Come on, Jenp says it only explodes a little bit and you told me the pebbles buzzed before they exploded, it'll be fun. Last one at the top is a rotten tomato."

"Fun…are you nuts…" McKay bounced on the balls of his feet in sheer exasperation, but John wasn't paying attention. He and Teyla were already several feet up the incline.

"I am so going to be the rotten tomato," grumbled Rodney and followed them.


	16. Chapter 16

Part Two The Morning of the Mission (v)

When Ronon arrived in the Jumper bay he was surprised to see that Amelia wasn't in uniform. Instead she was wearing blue jeans tucked into walking boots with a thick, padded check shirt over the top. His eyes fixated on her hair, instead of her usual up hairdo it was pulled back into what John had once called a pony tail.

She caught him staring, "what is it?"

"Sorry," he said gruffly, "didn't realise your hair was that long. Don't you get it caught on things?"

She gave him a cool look that settled pointedly on his dreads. "We've got a hike over rough terrain ahead of us; the bun starts to come down and it's never been a problem before."

It took Ronon a moment to equate "bun" with the way she normally wore her hair. He recalled that the odd wisp had escaped after her fight with the hybrid which in his opinion would make it a better style for their projected trip, but if he pressed the issue of pratical hairstyles he was obviously going to loose so he let it go.

She waited a moment to see if he had anymore to say and then moved away, walking around the jumper in the way John did if the had time before a mission and with an air of having already dismissed him from her mind.

"So you can fly this thing?" Ronon nodded at the jumper, faintly irritated at her indifference. He immediately felt a bit silly because if she couldn't they weren't going anywhere.

"Yes," replied Amelia blandly, "I've had the viral therapy." She entered the jumper through the cargo bay door and growling slightly under his breath Ronon followed.

He found her settled into the pilots chair and took the seat beside her, pulling out his energy pistol and checking its power cylinder before putting it away.

Amelia paid no attention, silently going through the start up routine. She tapped her com unit, "Jumper four to control permission to depart?"

The comm. crackled and spat and Amelia looked at it in surprise, "You are green to go puddle jumper four, smooth sailing."

A smile curved Amelia's mouth, "thank you control, see you in a few hours."

She took hold of both the control sticks and the ship lifted off smoothly.

Once they were clear of the city Amelia checked one of the screens to her left. "Our journey time is about eighty minutes. I'll have to land about three kilometres from the weather station so we've got a walk ahead of us over fairly rough terrain."

Ronon shrugged, "okay," he didn't particularly care where they were going as long as they went somewhere.

"I think we'd better take camping gear with us, just in case the repair takes longer than I expect," continued Amelia cooly.

Ronon nodded, he hoped they didn't need to camp out, when he'd been camping with John there was all sorts of fun to be had drinking beer, refusing to join in the campfire songs and inventing games that allowed him to beat John up a little bit. With Amelia he had visions of a silent evening with nothing to do but stay as far away from each other as possible. It was a good bet she hadn't brought any beer either.

He shifted deeper into the chair and pressed his head back letting his eyes loose focus and his mind drift, maybe he could find some animals to hunt? Knowing his luck there was probably nothing but small and fluffy creatures that Amelia would cry over if he killed them for dinner. He snorted at the idea.

"Pardon?" said Amelia, one eyebrow lifted.

"Nothing," he idly picked at a thread hanging off his coat. It was a tiny thing but loose things bothered him, he didn't like anything that might get caught and hold him back.

Conversation lapsed for the rest of the journey.


	17. Chapter 17

Part Two The Morning of the Mission (vi)

John Sheppard, not the slightest out of breath, reached the top of the slope and straightened up enjoying the stretch in his back muscles. It hadn't been a climb as such, more of a scramble.

It was a warm and sunny day and there was a good view. Teyla reached him next, huffing a little, like him she looked out over the valley.

The village sat in the curve of a wide slow river where the ground rose slowly to meet the hills. Smoke from cooking fires rose almost vertically since there was barely a breeze and small children were running around in an open field in amongst the placid, goat like animals that the Tipikan's kept for milk and occasional meat. Squinting into the distance John thought he could make out another settlement across the river and a look through his binoculars confirmed it. The planet, or at least this part of it was dotted with small villages living a largely peaceful hunter gatherer existence.

They were a straight forward lot. From the first team that visited they'd been welcoming but un-impressed by the Atlantean's technology. They might have been left alone after the initial visit except that Captain Gallo, with his major in botany and minor in history had wondered about the villager's robust good health and asked about their medicines. The Tipikan's, or at least the ones that the Atlanteans had met were skilled herbalists.

Add in the exploding pebbles and all of a sudden all sorts of people were interested in this little backwater planet.

McKay was still about fifteen feet down the hill. Sheppard watched him flail around for a handhold; finally grabbing a small bush that John could see wouldn't hold his weight.

Before he could shout the bush came away in McKay's hand. Waving his arms madly McKay managed to flip over on his back, there was a second where everything was still and it looked as if the Doctor had got away with it, then he started to slide.

John ran forward skidding and jumping down the slope, hurling himself onto his chest he made a grab for McKay, snagging the neck of his waistcoat. Almost immediately he felt Teyla take hold of his belt, anchoring them.

Rocks bounced down the hillside, setting others in motion as they went, bigger rocks began to roll, patches of earth slid carrying vegetation and larger rocks with them until a boulder began rolling lazily down the hill.

Sheppard could do nothing but watch and pray that the rock fall would not have enough momentum to cross the open ground between the base of the slope and the first of the village buildings.

Figures began to emerge from the huts, looking up and pointing then scuttling away as the rock slide gained momentum.

John held his breath.

Most of the slide ground to a halt at the base of the slope, only the boulder carried on, lazily flopping over, finally rocking to a halt barely feet from the first hut.

The villagers stopped running and turned to look at the hill. There was a certain amount of arm waving and he was sure shouting even though he couldn't hear it. Dragging McKay with him, who appeared paralysed by his close call, he managed to stand and leaving McKay sprawling he waved apologetically at the villagers. Two, who he thought were Jenp and one of the other village elders were standing with their hands on their hips in a very evocative manner. John was sure they were going to be told off when they came back down. He waved again, and then bent to help a whey faced Rodney to his feet.

"Close one," he said, patting Rodney on the back, "thanks," he said to Teyla over his shoulder.

Teyla inclined her head in acknowledgement.

Rodney, dusting down his clothes made a harrumphing noise and gave his unruffled companions a dirty look before pulling a tablet out of his pack.

"Okay," he frowned at the screen, "this is interesting, from the data collected on the initial scientific survey this hill," he tapped the ground with his foot, "is not natural, it's actually a spoil heap. It's very compacted, thousands of years old at a guess, I would assume…" he drummed his fingers on the tablet casing, his eyes unfocussed, "a spoil heap suggests mining and obviously mining means tunnels and chambers inside the hills."

"How far?" asked John, rummaging in his pocked for a ration bar, the climb and the excitement had made him hungry, plus the weather made him think of spring picnics. He offered a bar to Teyla who declined and then Rodney who took it absently, automatically glancing at the back for the ingredients before taking a bite.

Rodney scanned their surroundings through binoculars, chewing vigorously, "There would be my best guess," he pointed to where the hill they were standing on sloped down to meet an almost sheer rock wall. "There are several caves in that cliff; one of them must be an entrance to the mine."

"Should we not contact Atlantis and arrange a full survey team?" Asked Teyla.

McKay looked at John in mute appeal.

Sheppard turned the pro's and con's over in his head. A survey team was the "proper" way to go but… He looked around at the sunny day and the peaceful valley. "We're here now. Let's take a look," said John.

"Excellent!" Rodney almost bounded ahead.

John made eye contact with an impassive Teyla, "you know he'd just whine if we didn't let him go."

Teyla smiled, "remind me not to leave Torren with you once he reaches the age of "no." He would come back thoroughly spoilt."

"The age of "no"?" Sheppard enquired, following Teyla in McKay's wake.

"Dr Keller informs me that it is known as the "Terrible Two's".

John chuckled, "Come on, lets go get our toddler before he gets a boo boo."

Teyla raised an eyebrow, "Boo boo?"


	18. Chapter 18

Part Two The Day of the Mission (vii)

Richard Woolsey knew that there was a technician on the other side of the door because she'd had announced her arrival through both the comm. unit and his ear piece. Richard had risked responding and they had a short conversation along the lines of "soon get you out of there."

They had already discussed the possibility of rescuing Mr Woolsey via jumper. However, towers and spinacles crowded the balcony which was also under a considerable overhang. Richard had visions of rope ladders and decided that a jumper rescue would be a last resort.

He was sure the Technician had truly believed what she'd said; sadly she wasn't living up to her word. "I'm sorry sir. I cannot get power to this door whatever I do." She said, clearly frustrated, "I'm going to call Dr Zelenka, see if he has any idea's."

Richard closed his eyes and swore softly under his breath, "very well." He eyed his breakfast companion. The bird was in much the same place, still watching him continuously. Since it had not made the slightest aggressive move he was feeling a little more at ease. He slowly moved his hand towards his bagel.

The bird raised no objection and Woolsey sunk his teeth gratefully into the doughy bread. The generous filling of cream cheese oozed out the sides and he just moved his leg in time to avoid it landing on his trousers.

Still the bird did nothing, but its stare became more intent.

Richard looked from the bagel to the bird and back again. Carefully he pulled a sliver of ham from inside and threw it towards the bird. It shuffled along its perch, ducked and caught the titbit in its beak, gulping it straight down.

It looked at Richard expectantly.

Sighing Richard opened his bagel and removed the slice of ham, taking a quick bite of the roll he started shredding the ham into smaller pieces and tossing it to the bird, taking his own bites in between.


	19. Chapter 19

Part Two The Morning of the Mission (viii)

The jumper touched down with a slight bump.

"I need a little more practise." Said Amelia, it wasn't an apology, he wasn't even sure she was talking to him. She flipped switches and pressed buttons and finally turned to look at him with a touch of surprise in her face as if she'd forgotten he was there and wasn't pleased to be reminded. His hackles rose slightly.

"Where's the stuff we need to carry?" He asked brusquely.

Amelia's chin rose slightly, "The tent and rations are there," she pointed to a rucksack in the cargo bay, "If you can carry that I'll take the repair kit."

Ronon slid the back pack on without comment and palmed the door activator. A sharp wind blew into the ship and made him glad he'd brought his coat. He waited just outside the door until Amelia joined him, shutting it behind her.

It was hard not to laugh. She'd put on a silvery, hooded poncho. Ronon had had seen pictures and she made him think of a bulky angel from the top of a Christmas tree. She caught his expression and her eyes twinkled, finally coming to life and making her more human.

"It's thermal and water proof." She said, pointedly.

His face relaxed enough for a smile, "Okay."

Something flashed in her eyes and then they became distant again. She busied herself with a tablet. "We need to go that way," she pointed directly north.

Ronon gestured for her to go first and she nodded sharply, making her way through some bushes and up the slope.

Though the walk was quite short on the map, the terrain was rough, proceeding steadily upwards to the top of a ridge. Parts of the route were muddy and treacherous but Amelia climbed steadily without complaint or getting out of breath, using her hands to pull herself up when she needed them.

Ronon followed easily, even the relative comfort of Atlantis hadn't taken the edge of his ability to move though almost any terrain with ease. He started to enjoy himself. His senses stretched and he pushed the scrunch of Amelia's footsteps away, focussing on the sound of the wood. Colours got sharper, shapes more defined; details were seen, quantified and filed away. Smells spoke to him.

The last fifty metres were especially steep. Ronon waited patiently while Amelia found her footing and with the aid of a handy tree branch pulled herself up.

The branch was slipperier than it looked; she lost her hold and fell backwards with a startled Oof. Ronon caught her reflexively, grunting when her booted foot landed firmly on his instep.

Almost instantly she pushed herself out of his arms, "sorry," she said curtly.

Ronon just grunted. His mind on his surroundings, looking out for something he knew was there even though he didn't know what it was.

The rest of the climb was without incident. At the crest of the ridge the weather station sat square and unnatural even in its camouflage paint.

Amelia immediately ran a cable from her tablet and plugged it into an access port. "The diagnostic will take about twenty minutes." She said over her shoulder.

Ronon looked around, specifically at the ground. Climbing the ridge he'd seen a tuft of mottled grey hair caught on a bush and at one point what looked like washed out animal droppings containing bone splinters. The ground between the trees was covered with a mulch of dry leaves and other rotting vegetation, which might explain why he hadn't seen any tracks.

What soil there was on the ridge was clay. At some point it had rained and it didn't take him long to find what he was looking for.

"I'm going to collect some wood, build a fire."

Amelia looked up from her tablet in surprise. "I don't think we will be here by nightfall, bringing the tent was just a precaution and there's a miniature battery powered heating device."

Ronon shook his head, "It's not to keep warm, there's predators around. I've seen the tracks," he pointed to a muddy spot just behind him, "and the spoor. Paw's are big, might be dangerous."

"Okay," Amelia looked around and placed the tablet on a handy rock within reach of the cable. "I'll help."

Ronon shook his head, "Better if you stay put and get this thing fixed. Do you have a weapon?"

She opened her mouth to argue, then thought better of it, aware that when it came to outdoor survival what Ronon didn't know probably wasn't worth knowing. She looked around and darted to one side, coming back with a stout stick about the length and width of a baseball bat. She swung it experimentally "I do now."

Ronon grunted, she couldn't tell if he approved, "if anything comes at you make a lot of noise and aim for its nose."

Amelia swung her branch again, "no problem."


	20. Chapter 20

Part Two The Day of the Mission (ix)

"Oh look an abandoned laboratory," said John Sheppard.

Teyla moved over to the wall and examined the swirling patterns carved into the rock; she turned full circle, studying the simple lines of the workstations. "This is not Wraith."

"That makes a nice change." John looked over to Rodney who was glaring at the readings on his tablet as if they offended him, "so, two votes for not Wraith, what do you say Rodney, Ancient?"

"Yes, probably," McKay looked up and stared blankly at a wall, "I'm not sure."

Sheppard cocked his head at Teyla, "Rodney's not sure. This just got interesting."

McKay waved an irritable hand, "Just shut up a minute."

Teyla and John shared a look; Teyla raised an eyebrow and went to examine the rear of the chamber giving McKay some space.

The chamber extended some thirty metres into the hillside. Teyla, having explored all that it had to offer, including the detritus of an apparent rock fall that she assumed blocked another exit found a suitable bolder and sat on it feeling tireder than a short climb would warrant. Torren was teething, three disturbed nights and an extreme sparring match with Ronon had taken their toll. However, by the time she got back from the mission Kanaan and Torren would be on a visit to the mainland where some Athosians had made a temporary home. Kaanan had a cousin there. Torren would be fussed and spoiled and there would be many hands to help him through the disturbed nights while his first tooth grew in. When she got back to Atlantis she would take a very long, hot bath and then sleep and sleep and sleep.

Her stomach lurched and guilt stabbed at her. How could she be looking forward to a night without her son? She pressed her fingers to her eyes, trying to push away a nagging headache.

"Of course!" McKay's sudden shout made her jump. "It isn't Ancient in the same way that any of the human languages aren't Ancient."

Sheppard pulled a face, "What?"

McKay dropped his tablet on the table top, "All earth languages have a basis in Ancient, though you have to really look for it, this," he gestured at the characters scrolling past on his screen is a derivative of Ancient in the same way that English or Hindustani is except it's far closer to Ancient." He squinted at the translation rolling across his screen, "quite a lot closer actually. I'd theorise that the people who built this lab were not separated from the Ancients for anything like as long. Ah," he gave a satisfied smirk, "I've got a star map."

"Great." Sheppard waited for a moment, "and this is great because?"

"Because," Rodney said sharply, "I can compare this star chart with one taken by the first scientific team to visit this planet and from the differences in the relative positions of the stars I can give you a rough idea of when this lab was abandoned, which was…" he paused, waiting for the result, "sixteen thousand years ago." He looked up and stared at Sheppard, "so, some time between the Neanderthals dieing out and the first domestication of dogs these people were building labs and conducting advanced experiments."

"Not the first time we've come across societies who developed faster than us," said John, shrugging.

McKay shrugged back, "True," he dropped his eyes to the tablet again, "Okay, I have something like a log entry." McKay fiddled for a moment, "there. I can't get visual but I can get sound, or at least an audible translation."

John looked over to where Teyla was sitting and tipped his head to indicate that she should come and join them. She nodded and stood up, there was something heavy in her movements that caught John's attention but suddenly a voice spoke from the tablet in McKay's hand and distracted him.

"This is the last record of the Tipikan Anciones," said a synthesised female voice.

"We left Atlantus nearly nine thousand years ago, fleeing certain destruction at the hands of the Wraith. Choosing to live a quiet and simple life. For many years we existed in harmony with our surroundings, using technology only to study and further understand our world and the universe, to heal the sick and to make life better. Our chief and most important technology was the development of a scattering field which prevented the Wraith detecting our life signs from orbit.

"Our numbers multiplied and we spread across this continent, Tipika is a small planet, the other continents are located at the North and South Pole's, hard to reach and difficult to survive. Soon resources became sparse. The ecology of this planet does not allow for efficient farming, we had to survive as hunter gatherers, despite our technologies.

"Soon we began to fight for land, for territory to hunt and to exploit. The time we spent in scientific exploration became less and less, we were so busy fighting amongst ourselves that we did not maintain the generators and technologies which powered the scattering field.

Then the Wraith came, they came again and again and soon our numbers were not too many for our world, soon we were on the edge of extinction.

"The Wraith must have realised this, for centuries we were left in peace, in that time we gathered and worked to regain what we had once lost. Travellers came to this area in search of game and were almost killed by an explosion on the hillside. Our last, greatest minds travelled here and found a mineral inside the hills which experiences explosive vaporisation in contact with water.

"We though we could make a weapon. We thought we would be able to defend ourselves against the Wraith but during the wars between us we had lost too much knowledge. Men and women came away from their lands and their families and came to work and mine for us. We set up this lab with the last of our ancient technology, we mined the stones, we tried to turn them into a usable weapon but nothing worked. Many people died in the attempt.

"Finally, there was a vast explosion..." there was an unnaturally long pause in the playback, Rodney started to tap at the pad but the audio immediately resumed by itself. John wondered if the speaker had paused from emotion but with the robotic voice it was impossible to tell, "...The whole side of the mountain exploded, hundreds were killed."

"If there are still stones inside the hills they are too deep for us to find them. Our attempts to harness their power nearly killed us; we destroyed all the data we had collected, all the technology at our disposal, and all but the system which records this message. We will teach our children not to travel through the Astria Porta or to climb and enter this hill, all that remains of the mountain. If we live simply, control our numbers within the ability of this planet to support us then perhaps we will be left in peace."

The playback crackled into silence.

Dr McKay tapped at his tablet and scowled at the results, "that's it! For crying out loud!" He huffed irritably, "they might have given the Neanderthals a run for their money but please!"

John raised a pacifying hand, "so it's your classic technology almost led to our destruction scenario, I get it. We've seen it before, a lot. Question is; are there any of those rocks left that you like so much?"

"Wait a minute," snapped McKay tapping at the work station controls, looking from it to his tablet and back. "Okay, they had sensing technology that would determine the position of the mineral, but it's basic and the programme's scrambled. They didn't do a good job so I can probably get it on line and boost the power." He rolled his eyes, "so much for their noble sacrifice in scrambling their research the Wraith could clear this up in twenty minutes. I," he added smugly "will have it done in ten."

John acknowledged him with a wave, looked around and caught sight of Teyla's face. She was looking tireder than he'd ever seen her and she was shifting from foot to foot uncomfortably, "you okay?"

"Merely tired," replied Teyla shortly, "once we have collected the data required and returned to the village I shall seek permission to return to Atlantis. It seems I must accept that Torren will exhaust my resources from time to time."

"Still teething huh?" Said John sympathetically. He'd briefly babysat a yelling Torren when he was in his early _won't-sleep-unless-I'm-being-held _stage and had worried about the damage to his eardrums. The kid was loud way out of proportion to his size.

Teyla simply nodded.

John considered the grey shadows under her eyes that he was only just seeing and mentally kicked himself. "No problem, we'll get you back as soon as we get to the village, I'll square it with Woolsey. But I want you to pay Jennifer a visit. Just to be sure,"

Teyla looked as if she was going to argue but thought better of it and nodded.

"Good," said John.


	21. Chapter 21

(x)

"Mr Woolsey, this is Zelenka." Said the Doctor, through the hand held comm. unit Woolsey noticed, not his head unit.

He breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm delighted to hear from you Doctor, what was the delay?"

"I'm sorry, the comm. issues have got worse and this is not the only door to shut and refuse to open. It was simpler and certainly quicker to find a route around. If you would give me a moment I will do a diagnostic and see what I can do."

"Very well," Richard shifted uneasily hoping that Zelenka would solve the problem quickly. Nature was calling and between the bird still sitting hopefully on the balcony and his innate distaste for performing biological functions in anything but a proper facility things were getting uncomfortable.

His father had often said on long car journeys "think of something else." Mr Woolsey tried. The bird's staring was making it difficult.

"This is very strange," Said Radek, through the comm. "I have removed the wall plates a little further back than my friend and there is a film of black mould."

Richard blinked, "Mould? As in a fungus? Penicillin? What kind of mould?"

"I will have to get a sample to Dr Keller to determine that, it follows one of the pipes that make up the sewage system."

Richard blinked again, "You're telling me we need a plumber?"

"No, no, the system is fully automated thankfully. But the mould seems to create interference in the power relays it crosses. I am trying to scrub it away but it is most adhesive. I must get a sample to Dr Keller immediately. I am very sorry Mr Woolsey but this may take some time. "

Richard groaned under his breath, "Then I think it may be time to attempt a rescue by Jumper."

"Most certainly, but while I was on the way here I received a message that the Jumper bay doors now refuse to open."

Various things to say at that point hovered on the tip of Woolsey's tongue and died there. It wasn't Dr Zelenka's fault, at least, not as far as Mr Woolsey knew. "Very well Doctor," he thought for a moment, "Much as I want to get off this balcony the first priorities must be access to the Gateroom, Jumper bay and Infirmary. Make sure those area's and the comm. are functional and then come back for me."

"Understood, Zelenka out."

Richard rubbed his temples, the bird ruffled its feathers and hunched it shoulders. It almost looked sympathetic, as if to say "hey, we're in this together."

Slowly Richard got up; there was something he simply had to deal with.

The bird didn't seem to object, simply shuffled along the balcony.

Richard having examined the height of the Balcony rail slowly moved the chair until it was up against the balcony wall, climbed on the seat equally slowly, undid his trousers and did what had to be done over the edge.

The bird watched with interest but made no aggressive moves.

Richard hoped there was no one stuck down below.


	22. Chapter 22

_The third part of the lesson..._

_Teyla's Bantos Rods clattered across the floor. She straightened up and regarded Ronon steadily, meeting his eyes and holding them._

_It was just past midnight and they'd been battling for over an hour._

_Ronon glared at her, fighting the urge to press his attack now that she was unarmed. The woman had been possessed; he'd barely touched her. A dull ache in his side was certainly a cracked rib._

"_**Now**__ will you talk to me Ronon Dex?"_

_He didn't want to talk, he still wanted to fight._

_But this was Teyla and that was **just** enough._

_He threw down his rods._


	23. Chapter 23

(iv)

"So, do you come here often?" asked Mr Woolsey.

The bird shuffled from foot to foot and made a soft croaking noise, looking straight at him.

"I thought not, I mean, I've never seen you here before. I'm sure I would have remembered."

The bird opened its wings and stretched contentedly.

"I know, it's a lovely spot, very exclusive." Richard sighed and looked over the balcony rail, thinking about the Quarantine the year before and Sheppard's perilous climb up to the Gateroom. He'd read the report, somehow in words it didn't sound quite so hair raising.

It was a long way down so he tried looking up instead, with the overhang that was even more dangerous. He sighed again, he was getting both bored and anxious. Not only was his head unit not working but his hand held unit had died on him as well, the battery light blinking dolefully. Richard would have something to say to whoever was responsible for ensuring equipment was properly charged before it was given out, or possibly whoever sourced the batteries.

He tried to look on the bright side, Atlantis wasn't sinking or exploding and there was no sign of an invasion force. What was the worst that could be happening?


	24. Chapter 24

Part Three The Afternoon of the Misssion (ii)

Dr Jennifer Keller was puttering around the infirmary, which she was rather enjoying. Several teams were off base, the personnel left seemed to be getting on with whatever they were supposed to do without injuring themselves and she had to wait five hours for some data to collate before she could get on with her research. No one was currently invading the city, getting kidnapped or dying.

Other than the comm. Issues, which she could do nothing about everything was going smoothly.

She dug a sandwich and a bottle of water out of the fridge she'd had installed in a little used corner and made for her office to enjoy them.

"Medical team to the Gateroom!" Obviously part of the comm. System was working adequately; so much, she thought, for peace and quiet.

Without prompting, exactly as they had been trained two of her staff grabbed a gurney, Dr Keller dropped her food on a bed, snagged a medical kit and they were out of the door before she'd even responded.

"This is Keller; we're on route, what's the situation?"

Chucks voice was loud and clear, "Four members of the expedition to Tipika have just arrived back with severe abdominal pain."

"Damn," Jennifer whispered under her breath, "are they mobile?"

"Well, they walked through the gate," The gate tech said uncertainly "but they're sitting down now."

Jogging along Jennifer put a call into the infirmary requesting further gurney's and staff. Better safe than sorry. Essentials dealt with she asked a medically relevant but more personally motivated question, "Who are they?"

"Major Lorne, Lt Segura, Dr Nasari and Nurse Yoshida."

She breathed again, not that she wasn't sorry for the sufferers but if Rodney had been one of them she'd have suffered a lot more partly from personal worry but mostly because he was the worst patient in the history of history. "Is Mr Woolsey in the gate room?"

"Uh, no." Chuck's worry level was telegraphing clearly over the comm. and that ramped up her own adrenalin levels. She jogged through the Gateroom door, "Can you get him?" she said directly to Chuck, "I have no idea why but my inoculation isn't working and I think we should recall the whole team."

Chuck looked a little discombobulated, "I might be able to speak to him, but I don't think he's going to be down here for a while."


	25. Chapter 25

Part Three – The afternoon of the mission

(i)

A fire burned merrily close enough for Amelia's back to be uncomfortably warm. Ronon had gone back to the woods for the third time to collect wood after a late lunch of field rations and bottled water. Amelia's mind was half on the repair that required a carefully removal and testing of several circuit boards and half on whether she should send Ronon in search of water. What they had with them was adequate for twenty four hours but since her diagnostic had shown merely that there was something preventing the station from completing its start up routine she was going to have to visually check several circuit boards and if that didn't reveal any actual physical damage, start checking the programming.

That would mean running a full diagnostic on the code, something that would take at least four hours; then she'd need to correct any faults and _that_ would take as long as took.

So much for saying she'd be done before nightfall. Bearing in mind Ronon's appetite she'd brought a lot of field rations, but not much water. Field rations were light, water was heavy. She was considering the pro's and con's of finishing the repair on site or dowloading all the programming and taking it back to Atlantis for analysis when a shot from the woods made her jump and nearly drop her tablet. She froze, ears straining, one shot could mean anything, Ronon might be simply scaring away some small inoffensive animal or taking a balistic approach to wood chopping.

Another shot and she did drop her tablet, though carefully onto a patch of springy moss, she swooped on her branch and ran towards the noise.

Ronon's gun sounded again, then again. Amelia had to stop for a moment to try and pinpoint the direction because the sound was bouncing of the rocks.

She heard his bellow and a growl, cut off in a high pained yelp.

Bearing in mind Ronon's advice Amelia leapt towards the sounds, her club raised above her shoulder, screaming like a banshee and hair flying out behind her and catching on the bushes.

She broke through a clinging wall of creepers and found herself in a clearing. Three light grey blurs circled Ronon and two humps of hair lay on the ground, one whimpering, the other completely still, a smoking hole the size of a football in it's side. Ronon had his back against a tree, one foot elevated off the ground his gun muzzle swinging from target to target.

Her scream had worked, the animals froze in shock and then ran, whether from the noise or the threat of the raised branch she didn't know.

Ronon didn't give her time to ask questions. "Go! Now!"

She obeyed automatically, spinning on her heel. Hearing him follow she didn't stop to consider his injuries until he literally fell on her from behind.

She hit the ground with a startled oof of expelled air, the weight on her legs and back quickly disappeared and she dragged in a breath, rolling onto her back her club raised... and froze. A large, no _huge_ pale grey, somewhat wolf like creature was bearing down on her. It paused barely a foot from her boots and started growling, it's pale eyes fixed on her face. Long, still seconds passed. Finally it made a feint to her left and Amelia's brain finally forced her body to catch up with events, she scrabbled frantically backwards using her feet and elbows.

Immediately the animal made an almost playful pounce, snapping at her feet it caught the left awkwardly in its mouth and seemed puzzled by her boot. While it was distracted Amelia kicked it on the nose with every ounce of strength she had and followed up with a smack on the head with her branch. The animal jumped up, knocking her wheapon flying and turned and ran.

Amelia jumped to her feet and span around looking for Ronon, finally she saw him off to the right, his arm locked around the neck of another wolf creature, blood trickling down his cheek and arm. The animals claws raked at his sides as it scrabbled to be free and a third animal circled warily growling and making little darts towards Ronon as if it was uncertain of what to do. Looking around for her club Amelia spotted Ronon's gun on the floor and without thinking scooped it up, firing first at the hovering animal.

She blew a hole in some bushes, barely clipping the animal's leg but it yelped and ran away. Finally she levelled the gun at the man and animal struggling in their bizarre embrace and waited, deciding to fire only if he was immediate danger, or the other animals came back. She was not a soldier, had never pretended to be, had never fired a weapon at a living creature and didn't trust her aim.

The creature's struggles became steadily weaker; its growls softer and with a final wrench of his arm Ronon broke its neck with a crack that Amelia found both nauseating and exhilarating at the same time.

She watched him roll the dead thing off his body and ran to his side.

"How badly are you hurt?" she asked, eyes cataloguing his injuries before he could answer. His face, arm and side were bleeding but she couldn't see the extent of the injuries for ripped clothing and gore.

Ronon didn't get time to answer, there was movement in the bushes along with a faint growl. Without asking Ronon grabbed her arm and Amelia, quick on the uptake helped him to his feet.

He took his pistol from her hand. "Back towards the edge of the trees," he said softly, leaning heavily on her shoulder, "Just keep going."

The bushes moved again, the growling got louder. Amelia took her first step backwards and barely managed to remain upright as Ronon hopped backwards, briefly placing his whole weight on her shoulder.

It felt like an hour before Amelia felt warmth on her back. They finally stepped out into the open and she was shocked to realise that the sun was still shining. The canopy of leaves was so dense and the experience so much like a horror movie that she'd forgotten it was daylight.

She kept backing towards the weather station, each hop Ronon made compressing her spine.

The bushes at the edge of the wood rustled and shook, Ronon's arm swung in an arc covering the whole edge of the wood but nothing emerged into the sunlight.


	26. Chapter 26

(iii)

Sheppard's head shot around when Teyla groaned. It was a soft noise, If Rodney had been talking instead of busily fiddling with his tablet and the Tipikan work station he would have missed it.

Her hand was clenched loosely in the fabric of her vest, her skin was waxy and there were beads of sweat rolling down her face.

"I got it!" Shouted McKay, "Readings coming in," his shoulders sagged, "Damn, if I can trust this thing the mineral is all but mined out. Other than what's in the spoil heap, it's gone. He looked up and around for John and Teyla, "At least we should be able to get samples, perhaps we can replicate them." He realised John was'nt paying attention; Sheppard was bent over Teyla who was squatting on the floor, "What's the matter?"

"Teyla's sick." John straightened up, pulling Teyla up with him, "Pack it up, we're leaving."

There was a soft thud from somewhere outside the cave and a sound like hail pattering down. Rodney ran to the entrance to the cave and looked out.

"We have a problem," he looked back at John, "it's raining and that was an explosion on the hillside."


	27. Chapter 27

(v)

Dr Keller almost ran into her lab, yanking open the door of the specimen fridge. She prayed that no-one had had cleaned it out.

With almost a whimper of joy she pounced on the Petri dishes that contained the cultured virus samples and froze, confused by what she saw. One of the dishes was full of black mould. She checked the label; it was the sample she'd treated with the anti-viral complex.

The immediate and obvious conclusion was that the virus had mutated to combat the anti-viral and become more virulent in the process. Her stomach sank and she felt sick.

But there wasn't time for that. "Dr Keller!" Jennifer turned to see a nurse in the door way, "Lt Segura is fibrillating!"

Jennifer dropped the dishes on the desk and ran.


	28. Chapter 28

(vii)

With Ronon leaning heavily on her shoulder, they managed the last few yards to the camp. Dropping rather than lowering him to the ground Amelia started dragging wood from the pile they had already collected onto the subsiding fire, piling it up until it was blazing. Reasoning that if the animals did finally dare to leave the woods the fire would deter them.

That done she turned back to Ronon to check his injuries.

Of first concern was a bite on his upper arm, Ronon had his other hand clamped over it but a thin trickle of blood was wending its way down to his elbow and slowly dripping onto the ground.

There was a basic medical kit in her pack, she found a dressing and moving Ronon's hand she packed and wrapped the injury, moving on to the wounds on his chest from the animal's claws.

Once his left hand was free Ronon wiped off the blood and picked up his pistol. Using his bent knee to rest his wrist he covered the edge of the wood, ignoring what Amelia was doing until she made him wince from peeling his shirt and a fair amount of scab and skin away from his ribs. Once she'd dealt with that he saw her remove a pre-loaded syringe from the medical kit and caught her wrist before she could inject him. "No pain killers, need my head clear."

"I know," said Amelia calmly, despite her surprise "this is a broad spectrum anti-biotic."

Ronon released her, "okay."

Once she'd finished the injection Amelia turned her attention to his ankle, she hadn't forgotten that Ronon had been unable to put weight on his right foot. Pulling his trouser leg up as far as she could she examined the leg and saw some swelling over the top of his boot, on balance she decided to leave the boot on, there was no blood and it might act as a splint.

She sat back on her heel's and sighed, it could have been much worse. "We need to get you back to the city," she nodded towards the woods that lay between their position and the Jumper, "can you walk?"

Ronon shook his head without taking his eyes off the tree line. "Bad idea."

"But the animals left us alone on the journey here," Amelia said reasonably.

"Probably didn't know we were here, they do now."

"Oh," Amelia digested this and then looked around for her tablet, finding it still on the rock where she'd left it. "I'm going to call Atlantis, get them to come out with re-enforcements."

She keyed in the appropriate code to establish a link to their jumper and a relay to the city. The screen flickered a few times and a face came in and out of focus. Amelia could see that they were trying to talk then the screen went blank again.

Blowing a stray lock of hair off her face she tried again with the same result.

"I can't raise the city," she said, hoping she sounded calmer than she felt.

"Why?" asked Ronon in a tone that expected her to know the answer.

"I don't know." She changed frequency and tried again, resisting the urge to throw the tablet across the clearing when she again failed to make a connection. She took a deep breath and turned he mind to analysing their position. She looked over to the woods and then up at the sky, "so, as far as we can tell the animals don't like daylight," she theorised, "at least they're not coming out of the woods. Perhaps they have light sensitive eyes. We're further North than the city," she dropped her eyes to Ronon's face, "how long do you think before it gets dark?"

"Maybe a couple of hours." Ronon still didn't take his eyes of the tree line.

Amelia thought fast, even if they could find shelter could they hold off the animals all night? It would be dark for at least twelve hours. If there were only two left… but it wasn't safe to make any assumptions. They needed help.

"Call Kanaan, he's further South with the other Athlosians."

Amelia felt like slapping her forehead, "Of course," she said, relief washing over her. She punched some keys; making a connection to the comm. system of the Jumper Kanaan had used to travel to the mainland.

For long minutes she waited, breathing steadily through her nose and ignoring the thumping of her heart. Finally the screen popped into life and an unfamiliar face came into view.

"This is Amelia Banks from Atlantis, is it possible to speak to Kanaan?"

The man merely nodded and disappeared.

Finally Kanaan appeared and inclined his head slowly as if he was giving the traditional Athosian greeting through the screen.

"Hello Kanaan, its Amelia. I apologise for disturbing you but we are unable to contact Atlantis and are in need of help."

Kanaan cocked his head, "I spoke to Teyla briefly before she went off world, but I have not attempted to contact the city since. Do you wish me to try?"

"Yes, but more importantly I'm on the North West Peninsular with Ronon Dex. We've been attacked by animals and Ronon is injured."

Kanaan nodded, "You wish me to come and find you?"

His calmness immediately lowered Amelia's heart rate and relaxed her muscles, "Yes, but the nearest place to land a jumper is three kilometres away, you will need a large, well armed party."


	29. Chapter 29

vii

John left Teyla's side, "What do you mean the hill's exploding?"

McKay was already back at the Ancient workstation, he tapped madly then stepped back shaking his head. "Oh no." He backed off and ran over to another station and tapped some more, "no, no, _no_."

Sheppard stepped closer, "What do you mean "oh no?" he asked with a bare veneer of patience.

McKay laughed humourlessly, pushing his fingers through his hair, "The hills might have been mined out but most of what was left of the mineral was deposited in the spoil heap. When that little landslide occurred," Rodney swallowed convulsively, "seems it uncovered more than I could have thought possible. "

"How much?" growled John, grabbing his arm.

There was another muted boom followed by a pattering noise. "Quite a lot," said Rodney, his eyes wild. He looked up into John's face, "I guess the villagers had good reason not to climb the hill."


	30. Chapter 30

Part Three The Afternoon of the Mission (viii)

Jennifer dropped the paddles back onto the crash cart and pressed her fingers to her eyes. "Call it," She said softly, conscious that outside the curtains surrounding Lt Segura's bed were the other three virus patients.

The nurse looked up at the clock on the wall, "Death occurred at fifteen hundred hours and four minutes. I'll log it Doctor." She replied, equally softly.

Jennifer brushed a cold, sweaty lock of hair out of the Lieutenants eyes and gently closed them. His cockatoo hair do had been far from regulation but John had refused to make him cut it since he was in no position to criticise. Jennifer remembered walking into the jumper bay once and finding the young man showing off the Elvis tattoo on his bicep to a tiny female scientist full of giggles and that a nurse had once whispered to her over coffee that the boy had another, a rose on his right buttock.

Shortly after she'd arrived on the base he'd brought her a coffee and a croissant and asked her out to movie night. She'd turned him down, firstly because he was three years younger than her and secondly because she'd seen him try the same trick on a botanist the day before.

Sadly she was finally going to see all the young man had to show at his post mortem.

Juan (after his paternal grandfather) had been young, full of fun and a complete hound dog and Jennifer found it almost unbearable that he wouldn't be chasing women anymore.

She pulled the sheet over his face, "Prep him for autopsy, I'll get to it as soon as I can but I need to go look at the cultures. The answer has to be there."

The Nurse simply nodded grimly.

As Doctor Keller emerged from inside the curtains she found herself looking directly into the eyes of Evan Lorne; lying on the next bed in a foetal position, his arms wrapped tightly around his body, teeth clenched against the pain and sweat streaming down his face.

"Juan?" He gasped.

Jennifer merely nodded; she moved over to Lorne's bedside and placed a cool hand on his forehead. "I'll fix this," she said simply.

"I believe you," said Lorne, earnestly.

Jennifer wasn't sure who was trying to comfort who but she didn't have time to think about it. She smiled wanly and squeezed Evan's hand before heading into her office. She tried to raise the Gateroom but the com line simply fizzed and crackled at her.

Swallowing tears of fear and frustration she came back out and grabbed the first person who didn't look like they had anything pressing to do which was Dr Jacob Crane, a physicist on his way out of the infirmary after dropping off a sandwich and a drink to his girlfriend Nurse Moreau.

"I need you to get to the Gateroom and tell them to recall the team from Tipeka, I don't care if they can't speak to Woolsey first I am using my authority as Chief Medical Officer to abort the mission. Tell Chuck and whoever else is there that I'd come myself but there is a chance that others could die and I'm not leaving my post."

Dr Crane simply looked flustered, "What if they don't believe me."

Jennifer gritted her teeth in frustration. Something Ronon had once told her in her self defence lessons came back to her "_Make_ them believe you can kill them, even if you can't. Stare them in the eye like you're going to tear them apart and enjoy it." She rose up on the balls of her feet, glared into Dr Crane's eyes and watched him shrink into his lab coat. "Just do it." She snapped coldly. She turned away, not waiting to see if he would comply, scanning her patients and the other Doctors and Nurses moving competently among them. She would give orders to Dr Morris to increase pain relief. It would make the patients dozy which was all to the good and then she would get back into the lab and figure this thing out.


	31. Chapter 31

(ix)

Amelia bit her lip, "Two hours before those animals come out of the woods, did you hear? Kanaan should be here in a little over three so we only have to survive one hour assuming that he sets off immediately."

"The cliff," Ronon tilted his head towards the East. "Get our backs against something, might be a cave."

"I should strap your foot first."

Ronon held out an arm, "No, let's do this now."

It started to rain almost immediately, making the ground slippery. Ronon grunted softly with each hop and leaned heavily on Amelia. Several times she thought that her knees would collapse. It took them almost twenty minutes to reach the cliff face and there wasn't a cave, just a shallow niche in the rocks, about two feet deep and overhung from above.

"We put the tent in there," Ronon pointed, "with the flaps open, build a fire in front." He pulled his arm from around Amelia's neck and lowered himself to the floor.

"I'll have to collect more wood." Said Amelia, setting her face, hoping she didn't look scared.

Ronon scratched at his dreadlocks, "not a good idea, those things didn't seem keen to come out of the woods in daylight but that'll be gone soon. Even if you skirt around the edges..." He shrugged.

Amelia shrugged back, "we need the fire," she stated firmly.

A rustling sound made her look up, her heart doing a little flip. It took her a second to identify what she was looking at and when she did she took an involuntary step back.

Suspended from the overhang were four brownish pink, rubbery, bat like creatures.

The vibrations of her and Ronon's movement must have disturbed them because they un-tucked their heads from under their wings, opened their tiny mouse like mouths and started to chatter at a pitch on the edge of human hearing that made her ear drums feel scratchy.

The bats continued for a few moments, finally deciding that there was no immediate threat they tucked their heads back in and she assumed, went back to sleep.

"I have and idea," said Amelia, she turned and ran for the weather station.


	32. Chapter 32

Part Three The Afternoon of the Mission (xi)

Colonel Sheppard tapped his communicator.

"Lorne, come in."

A nervous voice sounded over the comm. line, "Uh, this is technician Lewis on the gate. Major Lorne had to return to base, some of the team have got sick."

"Damn!" John swore under his breath, "How come I'm only just hearing of this?"

"I don't know sir," said the shaky voice of Lewis, "No one said to contact you I guess I just assumed someone had."

Sheppard closed his eyes and counted to ten. He couldn't exactly blame the man, a lot of the technical staff though brilliant in their own fields had no experience or understanding of working within a military structure, or for that matter any team structure. "Never mind that now, I want you to dial Atlantis and tell them we have a medical emergency. I want a jumper here to pick us up, tell them Teyla is sick, probably that virus we were supposed to be inoculated against."

"Um..." said Lewis. "That could be a problem."

John swore again.


	33. Chapter 33

Part Three The Afternoon of the Mission (x)

Doctor Keller smeared a sample of mould onto a slide and slid it into the microscope. First looking at the sample of the virus that was unmolested by the anti-viral complex she'd developed.

In order to culture the virus she'd simply placed a sample of the microscopic organisms in a compound of nutrients that simulated the environment inside the human gut.

This had allowed her to observe the life cycle of the organisms and the virus they carried.

The organisms were indigested as eggs, in the case of the human population through the millet used in the ceremonial bread. The gut acted as an incubator, the virus shutting down the digestive system to allow the eggs time to hatch. Next the virus died off, allowing nature to take its course and in the wild for the organisms to be deposited within the perfect medium for them to grow to maturity, breed, crawl to the top of the nearest plant, lay their eggs and die.

What Jennifer hadn't seen in her first experiments was any kind of mould.

The control sample showed exactly what she had expected, a scattered mixture of egg casings and slowly moving organisms, their activity inhibited by the cold of the refrigerator.

In the second sample the slide was thick with eggs _and_ mould.

She ran an assortment of tests and once the results were in she sat back and thought furiously.

She'd called her treatment an anti-viral because that was the simplest way to explain it. In fact the treatment attacked the organisms rather than the virus, preventing them from excreting the virus and therefore suspending them in the egg stage from which they would be expelled by the body in the natural way. At least that had been the theory and her tests had backed it up.

But something had gone wrong.

It appeared the organisms had a fail safe. Jenifer, deducing partly from the test results and partly by the seat of her pants theorised that if for any reason the eggs could not release the virus and were therefore in danger of being expelled without hatching they divided, a-sexually reproducing and filling the animals gut, apparently interfering with the function of the digestive system in much the same way as the virus would do, only from the hosts point of view, much, much worse.

It was a risky strategy, firstly because it obviously caused pain far in excess of that caused by the virus and quite possibly more persistent because with no virus to take it's course and finally allow the host's body to resume normal function, how did the organisms achieve their purpose and pass out of the body?

Lt Segura surely had died before the organisms had achieved their goal. Jennifer's eyes drifted to the second Petrie dish again, even allowing for the slowing chill of the refrigerator the lack of hatched organisms suggested that this process was much slower.

A horrible thought occurred to her, maybe the host's death was an advantage. Jennifer looked down at her hands and found they were trembling. Perhaps if the virus was frustrated the purpose of the rapid multiplication of the organism and the resultant pain _was_ to kill the host. It was possible that, with the far slower hatching rate and the continuous a-sexual reproduction the organism could afford to wait until the host died and rotted before starting its circle of life again. The end result would be the same, the genetic code would move on to the next generation, the purpose of all life.

She wiped her palms on the material of her trousers; she was potentially looking at three more deaths. Jennifer took several deep breaths and considered the mould.

The eggs required warmth to hatch, once hatched in the natural world they would be deposited on the ground within the perfect medium to nourish them while they went about the highly energy draining process of breeding. With the organisms defensive mechanism causing the eggs to reproduce exponentially where there was a limited food supply perhaps there was not enough to go around.

She grabbed the slide from the ant-viral treated sample and looked at it again, increasing the magnification.

She hadn't noticed it the first time. At least three quarters of the eggs were clearly dead and decomposing, growing mould. Was the mould a potential food for the organisms? Was she looking a microscopic cannibals?

Essentially it seemed likely that her patient's guts were full of eggs and a decomposing mould stew. So far there was no sign of their digestive system re-starting. Was the mould important? For the moment Jennifer decided not. She had to kill the organisms and get her patients systems functioning again, the mould, though disgusting to think of was just a bi-product.

"Dr Keller!"

Jennifer jumped and span, pressing a hand to her heart. It was not, as she feared a nurse coming to tell her that another patient was dying but Dr Zelenka.

"I need your help Doctor; I have found…" his eyes fell on the table where the Petri dish fully of mould was sitting, "Where did you get that?" He asked, shock sending his voice up a full octave and his eyebrows into his hair.

Jennifer held up a hand, "I don't have time Doctor; I need to figure out how to kill this stuff." She gestured in the direction of the Petrie dish meaning the organism, not the mould.

Zelenka dug in his pocket and removed a plastic baggie, inside was a familiar black smear. "Me too."

Jennifer blinked at the bag, she took it from his hand peering at the sample then shook her head, "I don't understand," she said wearily.

"Dr Keller!" A nurse appeared in the doorway. "Dr Scott has just arrived in sick bay with stomach cramps."

Jennifer stared at the nurse confused, "Was she part of the mission? I didn't inoculate her."

"No Doctor," the nurse bit her bottom lip, looking apologetic, "she hasn't been off base in six weeks. And Dr Crane is back, he ran all the way, the gate is down, they can't recall the team."


	34. Chapter 34

_The fourth part of the lesson…_

_He sagged into an untidy, cross-legged slouch, his weight on one elbow, that digging into a knee, his balance nowhere to be found. _

_He watched her, her eyes closed as she found balance in posture and mind, the smoothing of her face and the slowing of her breath._

_Finally her eyes opened._

"_The people of earth are often imbalanced."_

_He snorted, "you brought me here to fight and then tell me John and Rodney are crazy?"_

"_No," she replied tranquilly, "they are not insane, but they lack equilibrium, certainty, balance. They question and worry; they doubt themselves. The more certain they are in their vocation, the less they are in themselves. I never believed this of you, until now."_

"_What are you saying? It's a sickness?" He heard the sneer in his voice and was ashamed of it._

"_Perhaps," her smile was forgiving though her eyes were melancholy, it is a "disease" I caught early in my knowing of them and you have it now… _


	35. Chapter 35

Part Four The Evening of the Mission (i)

Cassie Scott an archaeologist was pale, clammy and doubled over with cramps.

A body scan proved it, her digestive system was full of micro-organisms and her system was full of the virus. Nothing had interfered with the life cycle of the organism; Cassie was in pain but no danger.

Somehow the organisms were spreading into the un-inoculated population and Dr Keller had no idea how.

By the time she had a definite diagnosis on Dr Scott two other Atlantis expedition members had made their way into sick bay with the same symptoms.


	36. Chapter 36

Part Four The Evening of the Mission (ii)

Amelia quickly and neatly removed the screws that held the protective plate over the weather stations battery pack. The Station was powered by a small wind generator some sixty metres to the north and two solar cells. Excess power was stored in the battery pack for cloudy and windless days. There might be a shortage of sun this time of year but the blades of the turbine had turned constantly since she'd arrived and the station was not functioning, it hadn't been for over forty eight hours, in theory the battery should be fully powered.

She checked the levels, it was barely eighty percent charged, not as good as she'd hoped and since the weather station was extremely energy efficient it wasn't the biggest battery to begin with. She made a mental note to query the efficiency of the batteries with the engineering department, perhaps they needed to switch suppliers.

She looked up at the sky; she had about 90 minutes before sunset. Putting it out of her mind she concentrated on her task.


	37. Chapter 37

(iii)

John Sheppard scrabbled through Teyla's back pack for the basic medical kit. She was on the ground in a foetal position clutching her middle and if she wasn't screaming it was because her teeth were clenched so tight that it came out as a ragged, hissing screech.

He found a pre-loaded injector and without stopping to consider jabbed it through the material of Teyla's pants into her thigh.

Almost immediately her body relaxed, she was still panting but she wasn't making any other noise. As he watched her breathing eased and her eyes started to drift shut.

John pushed the hair off her face and his hand came away clammy.

"Are you sure that was a good idea?" asked McKay nervously. "John!" he prompted when he didn't get a reply.

"Would you rather I left her screaming in pain?" replied John roughly.

"N-no, but…" McKay's face fell, "I don't think I've ever heard her… do that." he trailed off unhappily.

Sheppard ignored him; he didn't have time to think about that, there'd be time to shake and puke later. "We've got to get her down the hill and you to the gate so that you can figure out how to reconnect us to Atlantis."

"You know it's still raining?" said Rodney, stress raising the pitch of his voice.

"I don't care," replied John levelly, "we are going, before the drug wears off and she wakes up screaming. You take her feet."

There was a soft sound from the cave entrance. Both Sheppard and McKay span around and found themselves staring at Jenp the village elder. A staff in one hand and a leather pouch slung over his shoulder.

He smiled broadly at them, displaying the gaps in his teeth. "Hello soulless ones, I have come to join you."


	38. Chapter 38

(iv)

Ronon shuffled himself out of the way and watched frustrated while Amelia put up the tent and set up the heating unit. Then she dragged what firewood was left into a pile about five feet in front of the tent, picking up what loose twigs and branches she found along the way.

Finally she sat in the tent's entrance and started tapping away at her tablet.

Puzzled but willing to wait until she was ready to explain herself Ronon reached over to the back pack and found himself a cereal and raisin bar, trying not to wish for a repeat of his mammoth and more importantly hot breakfast. There were times on Atlantis where he perversely missed the outdoor life, but he'd become accustomed to three or sometimes four square meals a day, plus snacks.

Taking a big bite he dropped the remainder in his lap and checked the power level and function of his pistol again. The power cell wasn't showing any signs of depletion which was good.

A weird sensation filled his head, bizarrely his ear drums felt almost… itchy. A tiny, soft grunt from Amelia made him look her way, she was screwing up her face, shaking her head slightly as if she was being bothered by an insect.

She pressed something on the tablet and the uncomfortable sensation vanished.

"What was that?"

"I hope it's an animal deterrent," her eyes met his ruefully, "shame it has to be so irritating to humans as well. It's a very high frequency pulse inaudible to humans but I hope painful to dog like animals. At least," she looked worried, "if they were German Shepherd's they'd be running for the hills."

Ronon cocked his head on one side "German Shepherds?"

Amelia's eyes twinkled, "Sorry, yes, dogs. Not the Germanic branch of the Colonel's family."

Ronon didn't have the faintest idea what Germanic referred to but didn't see the point in pursuing it. "If it keeps them away it's worth it."

Amelia nodded, "I know, but it makes my skin crawl. Plus," she gave the tablet an assessing look, "to pump it out at an adequate volume through the tiny speakers on this thing," she looked up and met his eyes squarely, "I'm worried about power consumption and burning out the components, the tablet's not designed for this."

Ronon shrugged and looked up at the sky, the light was draining away and the fresh green of the trees was fading into shadows. He checked the power cell on his pistol yet again and removed a knife from his belt, placing it at his right hand. "Time to light the fire."

Amelia nodded brusquely and shuffled back from the wood pile, Ronon levelled his pistol then paused, "Do you still have your club?"

Amelia reached behind her and brought out a sturdy tree branch weapon from inside the tent. "I had to go shopping for a new one," she said with mordant humour.

Something in Ronon's stomach clenched, pushing the sensation away he levelled his pistol again and fired.


	39. Chapter 39

(v)

It was getting cold on the balcony; Richard moved the chair as far back as possible to avoid the wind and hunkered down, trying to keep warm.

Wind ruffled the bird's feathers but it seemed indifferent to the cold. Every so often it looked out to sea, then it would stare at Richard for a while, then it would stare at nothing in particular before doing it all over again.

It reminded Richard of his Great Aunt Mary; standing on the station platform after a Christmas visit to the Woolsey family. She'd been invited out of his mother's sense of duty and had obviously not enjoyed herself.

Waiting for her delayed train to take her back to Idaho she'd constantly stared up the tracks, looking for her escape route. From time to time a sense of propriety would cause her to try to make small talk with her family, her attempts petering off into an embarrassed silence where she'd stare at nothing until her eyes would drag around to the train tracks again.

Richard had a strong sense that the bird wanted to go, but something was holding it back and he was grateful.


	40. Chapter 40

(vi)

Dr Keller shut her eyes and tried to think, basic scientific principle, theorise then test.

Initially four members of the Atlantis mission were infected with the microorganism and therefore the virus.

Their symptoms had evolved naturally, the anti viral being developed once they were well again but in time for the Tipikan mission.

In the natural course of things their re-started digestive functions had deposited hatched microorganisms into the city's sewage system. Now there were five new _virus_ infections. People who had _not_ been inoculated.

How had the new victims ingested the organism?

"_Think_" she told herself, screwing her eyes even tighter shut.

Dr Keller was from Wisconsin, memories of huge piles of cow dung steaming in the cold winter air swam through her mind. The organisms had been dumped into the perfect medium to sustain them through their breeding process. However, there were no plants to climb and lay eggs on and no animals to eat the egg-laden plants.

So, since they hadn't been ingested, why had they continued to multiply in big enough numbers to infect the water system and create all that mould? Why were they still in the system at all?

Her eyes snapped open and she pulled herself on her wheeled chair to her computer, calling up a schematic of Atlantis' sewage system. Fortunately, for the expedition members the Ancients in their corporeal form needed basically the same facilities as humans. Under the city there were tanks leading to processors that sterilised and made a harmless mulch like substance that could be disgorged into the ocean to sink to the bottom.

The system was essentially a huge, mechanical, digestive system. But, excreting the virus would have no effect so why the mould?

Had the anti-viral got into the sewage system? Dr Keller groaned softly, there was so much she didn't know.

The organism was now loose in the water system, which suggested that somewhere in the cat's cradle of pipe work that serviced the city there must be a breach in both the sewer lines and the water supply close enough together to achieve cross contamination. If that was the case, why were the new infections the uncomplicated virus?

The one thing she was thankfully sure of was that the virus hadn't gone airborne, simply because there were no sirens and slamming doors.

She looked back at the schematic of the sewage system and clicked on the operating specifications. Processing was supposed to occur every 36 hours. At the bottom of the screen some words were flashing in read.

"Radek!" she shouted.

He appeared around the door of her lab, "Yes?"

"Look at this!" she pointed at the flashing warning.

"Jaký is tato teď?" Radek dragged his hand through the tangles in his hair, and then thumped the table with his fist, "Hovno! The system on that tank has been shut down for ten days."

Jennifer didn't know what Hovno meant but she got the general idea. "So, is this the fault of the mould or something that happened independently?"

Dr Zelenka shook his head, "I do not know."

"Okay," Jennifer pressed her fingers to her eyes, "The virus is designed to shut down the digestive system. The mould only appears when the virus fails, so something has caused the virus to fail. Is there anything in the Sewage system that would do that?"

"Ovšem!" Radek started to pound away at the keyboard, he jabbed a finger at the screen. "See! The sewage system sterilises the waste killing all harmful bacteria and _viruses_."

"So," Jennifer balled her hands into fists and stared at them while she thought aloud, "the micro organism's defensive mechanism was triggered. The first person to be effected was Private Chopansky and that was over three weeks ago. The micro organism's eggs would simply keep multiplying and multiplying, dieing and creating mould until… until what?"

"This mould it interferes with the power flow," said Radek, still staring at the screen. "This is why the doors do not open and shut as they should, why the communication systems have intermittent failures. Everywhere an infected sewage line goes we have problems.

"But surely the mould should be contained in the sewage tank, even if it got out it should be inside sealed pipes. I just don't get it." Jennifer said shaking her head at him, "But it's got to be happening. And more people are getting sick." she added, "I think the micro organisms have got into the water system, it's the only thing that makes sense." Jennifer drummed her fingers on her desk, "It can't be city wide otherwise I would be seeing more infections." Dr Keller called up the admissions list, "two Physicists, one chemist, one archaeologist and a lab tech." Jennifer's eyes widened, "hey! Do they all have labs close together or something?"

Dr Zelenka opened the expedition manifest and filtered it until only the newly infected's names were listed, he rocked back on his heels with a satisfied grunt. "I must take a team into the service tunnels in this area," he made for the door, "I shall call you when I am there Doctor, but for now no one must drink the water."

Jennifer ran into the infirmary, "Becky, Carl!" she shouted, the two orderlies rushed up, "Becky go to the dining hall and tell them to get out all the bottled water they have, I need to know how much so we can start rationing it. Tell everyone you see as you go to spread the word. No one is to use any water from Atlantis' internal water system until further notice. Bottled only, see what canned drinks they have as well, juice, anything." Becky nodded and ran.

Dr Keller turned to Carl, "Go down to the stores and bring back every water sterilisation kit you can find, like Becky I want you to tell everyone you meet not to drink the city's water, tell them to spread the word. Find someone who knows where all the handheld communicators are stored and get them to distribute at least one to each department starting with the infirmary and the Gateroom. Until then spread the word to everyone you meet, we can't wait for communicators people need to know now. Go!"

"Water tanks,"

Jennifer span around at the sound of Lorne's voice, "what?"

"Get containers out on the balcony's where we can," her rasped, "catch the rain." He blinked at her lazily, his eyes fuzzy.

"Brilliant!" Dr Keller beamed at him briefly and span on her heel, looking for someone who might know where to find suitable containers.


	41. Chapter 41

(viii)

The world was still grey, not black when the howling started.

It wasn't a classic wolf howl, that would have been reassuring somehow. The animals hoarse and gargling bay made Amelia think of Zombie movies; that made her skin crawl and for the umpteenth time in her life she swore that she would never, ever watch another one. Perhaps a vampire analogy would be more appropriate with the aversion to light. She stifled an inappropriate giggle. If, no, _when_ she got back to Atlantis she'd recommend the addition of garlic to the regular field kit.

The howling sounded again. Fear crawled up and down her arms, it was worse because they couldn't be seen.

"You cold?" Ronon's voice made her jump, she looked at him, the firelight making an abstract jumble of planes and shadows out of his face. Somehow that made him less him, more approachable.

She shook her head, "No," she said calmly, but honestly, "scared."

He grunted softly, there was nothing derisive about it, which she'd half expected.

"How did you manage, alone and running from the Wraith?"

Ronon shifted, his face falling deeper into shadow, "Hated them and kept on hating." She saw his shadow shrug, "Can't hate these things though."

Amelia stared out of the tent, it was already appreciably darker and the howling was closer. "Because they are just animals," she repressed a shiver, "so with no hate to keep me going how do I stop being scared?"

Ronon chuckled; she slewed around to glare at him, "What did I say that was funny?" she asked through gritted teeth.

She felt rather than saw his smile which was very strange, "Don't try, just, be scared. It won't stop you."

Her mouth dropped open, "How do you know that? Right now every time that howl starts up," she forced the lump in her throat down and kept her tone light, "I want to scream and throw up."

Ronon wasn't looking at her again, he was scanning the darkness, "Didn't stop you earlier, didn't stop you fighting the hybrid." She saw one shoulder lift; there was certainty in his voice.

"Yes, but…" Amelia thought about what he'd said. She shook her head; the howls started again and her stomach flipped sourly. "That was different," she said, "I didn't have time to think."

"Think of something else."

Amelia looked at him incredulously, "like what?"

The shoulder lifted again, "Tell me about where you live."

"What? East pier, tower four, level three?" asked Amelia dryly.

"No," he cocked his head in her direction, "your home, Earth."

Amelia considered for a moment and huffed out a breath, "Alright. I was born in Florence where my Father was working as an engineer and my mother as a Law Professor..."


	42. Chapter 42

_The fifth part of the lesson..._

_"When you came to us you only thought of killing the Wraith, not conquering them, not defeating them; to think of that requires us to think of an enemy as a race, a culture, to accept that there is a future in which may be peace. When you came to us you **only** thought of killing Wraith, one at a time, individual deaths and pain; endless retribution." _

_"You are and have always been a warrior; your life as a runner was extension, a refinement. This was not your home and you would have left us if it had served your purpose better, there was no Sateda to be loyal to so you gave your loyalty to your purpose, to vengeance."_

_"Before I came to Atlantis I too had a clear purpose, to serve my people by leading them. I came here to serve them better; to do it I had to follow, to accept the rule of strangers. I left behind my home and culture, where I had always been certain in my vocation and in myself, because there was no difference, they were one."_

_"In this place I lost that certainty, I lost my self, not in times of battle but in the peaceful hours. I longed for things without the courage to ask for them. It took me a long time to realise that the things I longed for were not my true desires; a true desire only becomes apparent with balance, serenity and then you have no fears. Finally, I turned back to where I felt certain; I began to visit my people more often and to think more of them and less of Atlantis when I was there. I found what I wanted, where it had always been, waiting for me."_

_"When Kanaan and I came together there was no need for questions and answers. For the last year I have seen you struggle, first with where you should be and now with who you should share it with; I have seen you confused by what should be simple. Understand what took me years to realise Ronon Dex, if you had truly desired you would have acted."_

_"Kanaan made Torren a rattle, when it is in front of him he does not want it, when another child holds it he screams and kicks and when we give it back he does not know what to do with it."_

_"You never pursued Jennifer Keller until Rodney became your rival and you only became angry when he won her. It is not losing her that makes you angry and stupid Ronon Dex, it is that **Rodney** won."_


	43. Chapter 43

Part Five – Into the Night (i)

Amelia fell silent as the darkness crept out from the woods and swamped the ridge hiding the weather station from view.

Things were moving outside the circle of firelight; there were eyes out there and the fire was dying with no more firewood to feed it, she'd switched on the portable heater but it was designed to heat the enclosed and heavily insulated space of the tent, it didn't give out much warmth and even less light.

She clutched her club in her left hand and kept her finger on the activation button for the sonic pulse.

Ronon was scanning the darkness, pistol loosely in his right hand, hand resting on his knee.

The fire collapsed in on itself, the glow fading rapidly. The animals started to growl, the rake and shuffle of their feet got closer, then stopped.

Silence, no breathing.

Amelia felt the first one jump even though she couldn't see it, Ronon lifted his pistol and fired and Amelia pressed the button.


	44. Chapter 44

Into the Night (ii)

The infirmary was a centre of frenzied activity; people ran in and out, reporting on water supplies and on the placement of suitable containers on the accessible city balconies. When this was all over Jennifer was going to be in the Quartermasters black books, most of his stores had been upended out of their containers in the hunt for water tight vessels.

Lorne and the other suffers who'd been affected on Tipika were barely conscious from the high levels of pain relief; they were comfortable but Jennifer couldn't keep them medicated at that level for long. She badly wanted to get back to her lab, but every time she headed in that direction someone came in with reports or questions.

With Woolsey stuck on a balcony, John, Teyla and Rodney off world and Lorne incapacitated, it seemed she was the one everyone was turning to and it scared her, but it had to be done, so she did it.

Finally, things calmed. Dragging a medical technician along she ran into her lab and asked him to prepare a stack of slides with the micro organism while she raided the pharmacy for everything she could think of that might kill it.

Towing a small trolley loaded with little white boxes, she handed the Medical Technician one labelled Paromomycin. "We'll try this one first, then these." she picked off two others and handed them over.

The tech raised his eyebrows, "All treatments for Cryptosporidiosis, makes sense." He popped the first box, passed her an ampoule and a prepared slide.

Jennifer pulled on gloves and glasses, using a pipette she squirted measured quantities of each medicine onto the slides and passed them to the tech for labelling. Just as she'd finished one lot Zelenka arrived, moving fast and looking hot and bothered with the top half of a hazmat suit tied loosely around his waist.

"I have found the source of the contamination Doctor!"

"Thank god!" Jennifer replied earnestly without looking around from what she was doing, "where was it?"

"Under Rodney's laboratory, microscopic wood and metal splinters from the exploding Tipikan pebbles, did Rodney tell you about that?" Zelenka didn't wait for her nod, "Tiny fractures in the pipes were expanded by the internal pressure and the mould has flowed along the exterior of the pipes from there." The Doctor pushed his fringe up into wild, sweaty spikes, "I still cannot believe how far the mould has travelled in ten days! Because it did not occur to the repair crew to do more than a visual check! I _will_ discuss this with the head of maintenance and repair," he finished grimly.

"These things happen I guess," said Jennifer, only half listening. She passed a completed slide to the tech and took a fresh one from his hand. "So that's the source of the water contamination? We're lucky we haven't seen any other type of infections, or a wider spread, or both."

The scientist shook his head at her, "Fortunately the mould itself seems devoid of other bacteria and virus' and above the desalination tanks the water system is sectional; I think you will see no more infections now that everyone knows not to drink the water."

Jennifer felt a little, a very little, of the weight lift of her shoulders, "Good. Give me a few minutes and I may have something ready to kill the organism and then we will be sure." Jennifer finished the last slide and sat back with a tense huff, "I'll call you Doctor," she said dismissively over her shoulder.

Something hardened in Zelenka's face and surprised her.

"You have something to kill the mould?" he demanded sharply.

Jennifer almost jumped, the irritation and dislike she often felt for Rodney's second in commander reared its head. "Not yet," she snapped, "I need to kill the micro organism that creates it first."

"Doctor!" insisted Zelenka, "I have power fluctuations and doors that do not open and a comm. system that does not work!"

Jennifer's finger nails dug into her palms. "And I have three people who might die in the infirmary and an increasing number of others that are not in danger but increasing pain and distress," she said pointedly turning her back on him. "_When _you get the city up and running again I would like Lorne and the others to be alive to enjoy it."

"And when the power fluctuations cause an overload in the self destruct mechanism Doctor? Who will be alive to enjoy anything?" replied Zelenka, far more softly.

Jennifer slewed around, intending to tell him exactly where he could take his dramatics _and_ himself, but his expression stopped her and scared her a little too; if his face was anything to go by he wasn't kidding. She took several steadying breaths then turned to the tech. "Prepare some slides with the mould and get some Amphotericin B, Caspofungin, Flucytosine, Itraconazole and any other anti-fungal you can think ." She turned back to Radek, "good enough?" she asked, struggling to keep her tone professional.

Radek nodded gratefully, "Yes indeed Doctor, I shall be in the tunnels, please call me when you are ready.


	45. Chapter 45

Part Five Into the Night (iii)

Teyla stirred and muttered, twisting uncomfortably. Her eyes fluttered open and she sat bolt upright with a hoarse cry; twisting quickly to face the ground she braced herself with her hands and vomited.

John was there in a shot, holding her up and pulling her hair away from her face. "Is that good?" he looked back at Jenp.

The old man bobbed his head. "Maybe, maybe not enough, maybe enough, I do not know." He squatted down next to Teyla and lifted one of her eyelids. "These are bad sicknesess, used to happen sometimes."

Rodney ran in, "It's stopped raining, ew!" he wrinkled his nose.

"Rodney," Sheppard said warningly.

"Yeah, sorry," he waved an apologetic hand. "Sun's out; In a few minutes we could chance going down the hill."

"Must not move her," Jenp shook his head emphatically.

Sheppard stared at the old man, thinking. "Rodney, get down that hill and get the gate working; I don't care how. As soon as you make contact dial Atlantis and get me a jumper and a medical team.

"Okay, the sun is out but it's not dry out there yet and…" Rodney petered to a halt, sagging and looking miserable. "Okay," he looked questioningly at Jenp.

"He stays," said Sheppard. "He's the nearest thing we have to a Doctor."

Jenp grinned and nodded; Rodney's shoulders drooped even further and he disappeared out of the cave.


	46. Chapter 46

Part Five Into the Night (iv)

The animal fell back, twisting in the air and shrieking, whether from Ronon's shot or from the noise she couldn't tell. It rolled into the darkness and was lost from sight.

The snarling retreated.

"How long's that thing going to last?"

It took her a moment to realise what Ronon was asking. "I'm not sure," she checked the power readings, "I think it will be close." She was surprised by her own voice, she sounded so calm.

Ronon held up a hand and Amelia fell silent. "What?" she whispered.

"Trying to track them; if I can kill some our chances are better."

She froze and concentrated on breathing silently, wondering how he could hear anything with the constant scraping pressure of the deterrent in his ears.

He loosed off a shot and shadows split apart with a yelp and scuffle. The growling started again, more distant, setting the hairs on the back of her neck on end.

Ronon was still squinting into the darkness, his arm raised, tracking movements that Amelia couldn't see or hear. Suddenly his arm dropped. "Didn't get it; how long until Kaanan gets here?"

Amelia checked the time. "Forty minutes at least," she looked at the power readings and swallowed convulsively, "it's going to be very close." She peered out into the darkness. "Seems to work though."

"Hmm," Ronon's eyes tracked back and forth. "We'd better eat."

Amelia reached into the pack, pulled out two pouches of field rations and checked the labels. "Irish Stew," she said with a grimace; "if they're going to use the British ration packs why couldn't it be roast beef?"

Ronon simply reached out a hand for his. "All tastes the same to me." He ripped the corner off the pack and started squeezing the mush into his mouth, stealing a quick glance at Amelia. "Why aren't you eating?"

Amelia raised her eyes from the brown mess oozing from her pack and grimaced. "My stomach doesn't feel too good."

"Don't think about what it is; if it comes to a fight you'll need the energy," he said simply.

Amelia didn't argue with him because she knew he was right; after the first mouthful it wasn't so bad and her stomach started to settle. "What's the worst thing you ever had to eat?" she asked, curious.

Ronon tipped his head to one side, considering. "Rotten maggots," he replied shortly.

Amelia looked at her nearly empty ration pack. "Okay, Irish Stew's not so bad. Not sure how I would have managed on your diet," she said glumly. He didn't look at her but she felt his attention shift in her direction.

"You just would. Doesn't matter, you don't need to right now and I can't make an animal repellent noise maker," he nodded in the direction of the pad, "you can."

Amelia tried to digest what he'd said; he seemed honest and more importantly not the slightest bit patronising. She tried to marshall her thoughts, wondering if this was really the time, or the place, even if it had been bothering her for a while. "Yes, but..." she paused, trying to control her breathing and her voice, "do you realise how _inadequate_ you make people feel?"

Ronon didn't speak but there was a tilt to his head that said "what!"

"All the military, in fact most of the base personnel are half scared of you," Amelia carried on a little testily. "You spend half your time glowering and the other half beating them to a pulp; I can fight you know, you said that yourself, but thirty seconds after you said it you left me holding a baby and told me to stay put as if I couldn't be of any use to you…" she petered to a halt, dragging in a breath, feeling her face heat. Ronon had turned his head to look at her, but she couldn't see his expression in the darkness. "Sorry," she said lamely. "Put it down to tension and forget it."

He leaned in towards her and Amelia forced herself not to lean back, "I left you there _because_ you can fight," he growled.

"_What?_"

He made a slightly derisive noise. "Everyone was still half asleep and none of them were fighters, if the hybrids had got in there had to be _someone_ there who could fight."

Amelia felt herself sag, "Oh." She sat there, pratically shut down in surprise, trying to re-write this new information over her assumptions. "Oh. Really?"

"Yes," replied Ronon, tersely.

"Oh," she felt her skin prickle with embarassment even as a smile spread unstoppably over her face. "Oh," she said again.

"You've were mad about _that_?" he said as if it were a new concept he just couldn't quite make head or tail of.

Amelia shrugged at him. "Yes, which I feel very stupid about now," she said honestly. "It's not just you, anything that I do that isn't opening and shutting the gate comes as a surprise to people." She shrugged, "it's hardly surprising, it's the only thing people see me do."

She felt his eyes on her for long seconds. "I can show you some new moves if you want; I had some women in my squad, we did a lot of work on using an opponent's weight against them and I've leaned things from Teyla."

Amelia felt a gentle buzz spread through her body. "Thank you, that would be - useful," she said, careful to keep her voice level.

She could see that he was still looking at her, but she couldn't see his eyes. Finally he turned his attention back to the darkness. "How much longer?"

She looked at the readings on her tablet, very glad to get back to business. "Half an hour until the earliest Kaanan is likely to arrive." A soft growl sounded only feet away, to her left. Her head shot up, eyes desperately scanning the darkness. She hadn't been paying attention while she was talking to Ronon; either the animals were acclimatising to the noise or the signal was getting weaker.

"Does the noise still make you uncomfortable?" she asked urgently.

"Not so much," he replied without looking at her.

Amelia checked the power readings and the tablets output and did some rapid calculations in her head, the results made her stomach sink. "I don't think we have as long as I thought."

"How long?"

"Maybe fifteen, twenty minutes." She swallowed carefully, running a dry tongue over her lips.

"You still got your club?"

Amelia reached down and grasped it, lifting it again so he could see, "I told you," she said grimly, "never leaves my side."

She had the impression that he was grinning, "Good."


	47. Chapter 47

Part Five Into the Night (v)

"Check this one."

The medical technician was waving a slide at her; Jennifer took it from his hand and looked at it, was it her imagination or was the colour subtly different?

She slid it into the microscope and peered at it; it took a few seconds for her to believe what she was seeing. All the organisms were dead.

"Yes!" she checked the label. "Azithromycin, get down to the medical stores and bring all that we have. Well done!" she shouted after the tech as he sprinted out of the door. Once he'd gone she mentally ran through the probable side effects and opened the Pharmacopoeia on her laptop to check her memory.

"Vomiting, diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal pain," she read out loud, thinking it was hardly a worse proposition than the illness itself. She checked the percentages of the more commonly reported side effects and found they were all less than five percent, with serious side effects and resulting fatalities extremely rare. She'd have to watch those treated for persistent colitis but that was pretty much it. She span away from the table and ran into the infirmary.

"Dr Morris!" she shouted, he appeared from inside one of the screened off beds. "Azithromycin, Clive's bringing it up from the stores. Check the dosage and administer to Lorne, Nasari and Yoshida."

Dr Morris nodded, looking relieved. "What about the others, the ones with the uncomplicated virus?"

Jennifer thought moment. "How many do we have now?"

"Thirteen."

She dragged a hand through her hair; it felt matted and she tried to remember the last time it had seen a brush. "Only if they show dangerous complications; the virus won't kill them. Keep up the saline and the pain relief; I have to go kill some mould."


	48. Chapter 48

Part Five Into the Night (vi)

"I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die," muttered Rodney under his breath, picking his way down the hill, avoiding the puddles. "Or lose a limb; thank god Jennifer loves me for my brain." His foot slipped and he slithered ten or twelve feet ignominiously on his rear and lay there briefly, panting. "This sucks, why did I come? Zelenka would have enjoyed it." There was a faint buzz from somewhere to his right. Rolling frantically away he covered his head with his arms just a relatively soft explosion showered him in gravel and clumps of earth.

He took a few seconds to mentally check his limbs and got to his feet, careful of his footing. "Okay, that wasn't so bad." He tried to brush clay from his trousers, it wouldn't budge.

He'd just taken the first step down the hill when a huge buzzing noise started up. He looked around frantically, trying to decide where it was coming from, unfortunately it seemed to be coming from everywhere.

The whine rose to a shriek.

Rodney started to run.


	49. Chapter 49

Part Five Into the Night (vii)

At Jenp's suggestion they moved Teyla to the back of the cave where it was cool. She seemed to be asleep, though muttering and twitching as if she was having bad dreams.

"Teyla, it's John," he shook her shoulder gently. Her eyes fluttered open and closed again.

"Let her sleep," Jenp squatted beside him. "Either dreams will let her go or they wont." He looked at John curiously. "She your wife?"

"No," said John flatly.

The old man looked surprised. "Don't you like women?"

John snorted. "I like them fine, Teyla has a," he searched for the correct word, "a husband." John was always hesitant to use the word because he had no idea whether Athosians "married" as such. "And a baby," he continued.

Jemp settled back on his heels, head cocked on one side. "How long does she have husband?"

"Maybe a year or two." That was something John had no clear idea of either; this was _not_ a subject that he and Teyla discussed.

The old man reached into his bag and pulled out some kind of root which he started chewing. "And you knew her how long?" he continued, conversationally, as if he was enjoying a good gossip around his own fire.

John eyed him warily, wondering where this was going, "Nearly five years," he waved an impatient hand. "Look, I'd love to give you my life history, but…" he gestured to their surroundings, "now is not the time."

Jenp removed the root from his mouth and spat bits onto the cave floor without embarrassment or apology. "May be a long time before your friends come, what time is better?" he swivelled 360 degrees on his rear end theatrically looking into all the corners. "Nothing else to do I think."

John closed his eyes for a second. "Okay," he sighed, "shoot. What do you want to know?"

Jenp shrugged. "You come here with a pretty woman who is strong and smart and she isn't your wife. I think you are strong but not so smart," he dug John in the ribs with a skeletal elbow and grinned at him.

John let go of an irritated and slightly pained huff. "Look, it's not that simple."

"Why not?" Jenp cocked his head on one side. "I met my wife on a visit to another village; she was strong and smart so I married her quick before another man did." He grinned. "Good warrior my Nirces, good hunter; ninety skins in the trophy hut from her kills. We never went hungry even when she was fat," he outlined a bulging belly with his hands. "She gave meat to other families when their women were fat, we get meat back when she was the same; good system, because me," he grinned again, "good man with the medicines, really bad with the bow."

John laughed. "Really, that's great but, Teyla and I, we work together; in our world you can't work together and be," he vaguely circled his hands in the air, "like that."

The old man scratched his head. "So your world is stupid, not you?"

John snorted. "Maybe, look! Teyla and I were never like that; don't know if she ever wanted, but it was never," he petered out shifting uncomfortably.

"So you were dumb," Jenp patted him on the shoulder. "Won't know unless you ask."

John sighed; he looked at Teyla who seemed to be settling into an easier sleep. "Where I come from there are many women but the ones I have been close to, really close to, well," he hesitated again, "one was my leader and the other is Teyla. I've never met women I've admired and respected more. That doesn't mean we should have been together, in fact our rules wouldn't allow it." John picked up a stone from the floor and started tossing it from hand to hand. "I've been married, wasn't very good at it. It never seemed worth messing up what we had, what we could achieve." He dropped the stone and leant over to brush the hair out of Teyla's eyes. "She's happy with her husband and her child and the other woman," John picked up the stone again. "She's been gone a long time now," he finished grimly.

Jenp nodded, dropping a kindly hand on John's shoulder. "Losing your woman is hard; my Nirces has been gone six years," he shrugged, "not long now."

John looked over at the caves entrance. "Yeah, Rodney has to be back in the village by now."

"Not what I-." Jenp was interrupted by a low rumble and the whump of a distant but big explosion.

They stared at each other for a long moment.

"Rodney!" They both leapt up and ran to the caves entrance. They couldn't see the village because there was a huge cloud of dust about half way down the hill.

"Rodney!" John yelled again.


	50. Chapter 50

Part Five Into the Night (viii)

The growling was getting closer again; she could hear the scrape and scuffle of their paws. Amelia tried to identify how many animals there were but the growls were constantly moving, weaving in and out of each other.

She stood over Ronon, her feet braced and her club raised over her shoulder like a batsman waiting for the pitch. The last ember of the fire had long since flickered and died; the heating unit hardly gave enough light to see Ronon's outline and she could barely detect any discomfort from the sound generator.

The growls got closer still and then stopped, fading into pants and then, _almost_ nothing, just the faint hiss of breath between teeth.

Ronon fired, something screamed; another leapt high and Amelia swung like she was aiming for a home run. The club crunched and splintered and there was a howl cut sharply off; the thing barely landed before it was on her again; she caught its shoulder on the backswing and it span full circle, facing her, its head low. It crouched to jump again and she swung once more.

It exploded; blood and hair splattered across her face and chest, blinding her, hot and wet. She scraped the worst out of her eyes and realised that Ronon had turned and fired to save her, leaving himself vulnerable.

One animal was on his chest, Ronon's hands around its throat as it inched closer and closer to his face, growling and slobbering. Another had him by the foot and was trying to drag him away.

Amelia couldn't see his gun.

Her club was splintered and useless. She searched the ground frantically and grabbed the first solid thing that came to hand, the little battery powered heating unit.

She swung it with all her might and brought it crunching down on the animal's neck. Sparks erupted, there was a howl and a smell of burning fur as the animal scrabbled away, bowling over its companion in its flight.

She dropped down beside Ronon and found that she was kneeling on his gun. She scooped it up, pointed into the darkness and fired three times in three different directions.

She glanced at Ronon, his shirt was ripped to pieces from the animals claws and blood was oozing from a criss-crossed mess of marks. She bunched up the tatters of his shirt in one hand and applied pressure as best she could while keeping his gun levelled.

"Give me my gun," he rasped, holding out a shaking hand.

"Shut up and lie still," said Amelia.


	51. Chapter 51

Part Five Into the Night (viii)

**(Authors Note: This bit is not intended to bash Jennifer, I like the character very much, but there was a little incident in Trio that I thought was lazy writing and did the character no favours. It bugged me and since this is my version of the Gateverse I wanted to fix it).**

Jennifer found Dr Zelenka, still half dressed in his Hazmat suit under the floor of Rodney's lab. There was a puddle of scummy, smelly water on the floor and mould all over the wall, centred around two pipes that Jennifer guessed were a water and sewer pipe.

Zipping her own Hazmat suit up she pulled forward a tank on wheels with a pipe and spray nozzle attachment. "You need to put your suit back on," she gestured to the tank. "I don't want anyone to inhale this."

"What is it?" asked the scientist as he un-knotted the sleeves of his suit from around his waist and pulled it up over his shoulders.

"Would you believe Tea Tree Oil," said Dr Keller. "The active ingredients synthesised actually; we'll need to completely flush the system through afterwards or we could be in for anything from skin rashes to hallucinations, but it worked better than anything else on the mould. This is a pretty high concentration," she took a stance and prepared to depress the trigger, "ready?"

Zelenka checked the snaps and seals on his helmet and nodded.

Fluid arced out from the nozzle; Jennifer adjusted the flow until it was more of a shower than a stream and once she'd doused the whole area she switched off the tank. "Now we wait."

"How long?" he asked, leaning towards the pipes as if he expected the mould to instantly dissapear.

"About ten minutes, if the mould doesn't show signs of clearing I'll need to increase the concentration."

"Okay," he watched as Jennifer removed some slides, scrapers and a pocket sized slide magnifier from her pocket, fumbling awkwardly with her big gloves. "Can I hold something for you?" he enquired courteously.

"No, that's okay," she said sharply, turning away, still irritated with him from their encounter in the lab.

Radek muttered something under his breath.

Jennifer hadn't caught what he'd said but the tone was loud and clear. "I'm sorry, _what_ did you say?" she asked sharply.

Radek turned back. "Actually I said, Být do téže míry aby."

"What?" Jennifer glowered at him. "What does that mean?" she demanded.

"It means that I do not like being treated like a bug on the bottom of your shoe!" Zelenka glared at her through both his glasses and his facemask.

"I," Jennifer gritted her teeth, "I do _not_!"

"Oh _please_," Zelenka rolled his eyes. "I am not the great Rodney McKay but actually I am quite smart. So you skipped two grades, I was home tutored and took my first degree at sixteen and I am _much _better at reading body language than Rodney," he waved a bulky, gloved arm in her direction. "So, I sniffed your hair once because I like coconut and _yes,_" he waved his arm again, vaguely indicating her body, "you are not unattractive. But I do not chase women who are not interested _and_ in case stupid rumours have re-enforced your dislike of me I do _not_ steal women's shoes!"

"But, Jennifer swallowed, feeling slightly nauseated. It was like being attacked by a toy, one you'd thrown to the bottom of the toy chest and forgotten about. She shook herself and drew herself up. "There was this time, it was in the lunch queue..." He couldn't deny that.

Radek made a "pfft" noise and raised his hands and eyes, entreating the heavens. "I was behind you in the queue, you were so busy talking that you didn't notice I was waiting so I leaned around you to get the last muffin," she could see his cheeks redden even through the mask. "I like the blueberry ones and you, talking, talking and _talking_ about whether you should have a muffin or fruit. So I get impatient; when I reach you spin around," Radek made the motion with a down pointed finger, "and flicked your hair in my face," he finished icily, pulling himself up and oozing offended dignity.

Jennifer's blush bloomed, crimson and thermo nuclear. She'd been talking to _someone_, she couldn't remember who but it had been a lot giggly and a little flirty and long before Rodney or even Ronon had appeared on her romantic map. She'd wanted the muffin, but she hadn't wanted to look like a pig in front of whoever it was so she'd dithered and giggled when he'd made a comment about her not needing to watch her figure. _Then_ she'd felt a presence close behind her and spun around quickly to see who was there; because how embarrassing if Carson had seen her behaving like a schoolgirl with a crush? There'd been Radek, blinking from the hair in his face and looking embarrassed and slightly furtive. She'd thought he was hair sniffing again but all he'd wanted was a damn muffin? Her face got hotter. She'd never thought of herself as someone who jumped to conclusions and judged by appearances but, she took a good look at him, small, bespectacled, classic cliché nerd appearance. Her heart dropped to her boots; what was she a cheerleader in high school? More to the point, had she forgotten who she was dating?

"I'm," she struggled to swallow, swinging between embarrassment and anger, "I'm sorry, okay."

Radek tried to push his glasses up his nose through his face mask and it fogged as he took a couple of deep breaths. His posture relaxed and he shrunk at least two inches. "Yes well," he waved a gloved hand, "it is okay, but if you spend a lot of time with Rodney then I am often there too." He raised an eyebrow at her and his voice softened, becoming gruff. "You understand?"

Jennifer swallowed again. "It's no fun having someone treat you," she forced herself to meet his eyes, "like that. Like I said, sorry," she said sincerely.

Radek waved a hand vaguely, his eyes drifting to the wall. "It is nothing," his cheeks still looked pink, even through the face mask, "forgotten, I work with Rodney; you get a thick skin or you kill him."

Jennifer forced a chuckle, still off balance. "I know," she said shakily.

Radek shook his head. "And yet you date him," he looked her up and down; there was almost a twinkle in his eye. "Maybe _you_ need a medical scan?"

Relief flooded Jennifer's system; she hated arguments and Radek letting her off the hook almost made her giddy. Playing along she narrowed her eyes and wagged a finger at him. "Just because we are getting along now does no mean that you can tease me about Rodney."

Radek smirked, but his eyes flickered repeatedly over her face and she knew he'd seen how off balance he'd made her. He pointed at the mould. "Time to check the results Doctor," he said in his more usual, professional tone.

Jennifer nodded; she juggled the slide and scraper awkwardly in her gloved hands. It was horrible to feel this small and worse to feel that somehow she'd been boastful about skipping grades when she was surrounded by some of the most intelligent people from Earth, even if she'd never told anyone but Ronon and Rodney. She winced and made a mental note to talk firmly with Rodney about boasting about his girlfriend's skipped grades, how else would Zelenka know?

"Did you really take your first degree at sixteen?" she blurted suddenly.

Radek grinned toothily. "When I was fifteen I lived in a tent and grew turnips, what do you think?" His grin widened. "But I caught up _very_ fast."

Jennifer felt her muscles relax; suddenly she liked Radek very much. "Here," she handed him the portable slide magnifier, "can you hold this?"


	52. Chapter 52

Part Five Into the Night (x)

The bird was looking out to sea more and more often. Every so often it hopped up and down on its perch as if it was trying to decide and then hunkered down again.

Richard Woolsey sat, shivered and tried to remember what the average night time temperature was at this time of year.


	53. Chapter 53

Part Five Into the Night (x)

John squinted, trying to see through the cloud; there was a darker shape on the ground.

"Stay with Teyla!" he yelled over his shoulder and ran down the hill, refusing to think about the possibility that it could explode again. He skidded to a halt beside McKay face down in the dust, his arms outstretched.

John rolled him over, clearing mud and other detritus from around his nose and mouth and pressed his fingers to Rodney's neck.

McKay gasped and sat up like a Zombie jolted awake by the first lightening bolt of the evening. He started coughing violently, clutching his chest with one hand and flapping the other madly as if he was trying to wave the explosion away.

"If I have punctured a lung," he rasped, "and drown in my own blood then _you_ do _not_ get to read my eulogy." He dragged in a few whooping breaths and slumped back on the soil, arms outstretched.

John sagged in relief. "You're okay," he prodded the prone scientist affectionately with the toe of his boot.

His friend sat up again. "Says you." He coughed some more and looked around, blinking, grey and ghostly from the dirt plastered to his face except for tear tracks making pink, zebra stripes on his cheeks. He stared up the hill, they were only thirty foot from the bottom. "Wow," he coughed convulsively, "I was halfway up when_ _wow_."

"Can you stand?" asked John, not unsympathetically.

"Yeah, probably," Rodney waved an arm at him, "don't just stand there."

John dragged him to his feet and gave him a pat on the back, gently pushing him in a down hill direction. "Go fix the gate Rodney."

McKay glared at him over his shoulder. "Your concern is _so_ touching."

Sheppard gave him a look and another, slightly harder shove in the downward direction.

The Doctor stumbled off, muttering and frantically scanning every inch of ground while walking on tiptoe.

John watched him go and then looked up the hill; it was a long way back up and now that there wasn't the impetus of panic for Rodney's well being the possibility of further explosions was hard to ignore.

Teyla was up there, sick and possibly dying.

He started back up the hill, moving fast, but picking his route with care even though he had no idea what he should be looking for.


	54. Chapter 55

Part Five Into the Night (xiii)

Jennifer's hands shook as she slid the slide into place, which was ridiculous because she knew it would work; it had worked in the service tunnel under Rodney's lab.

But this was the crucial test, the power relays for the Stargate.

The mould was loosing density, getting paler. "It's working!" she practically screamed.

Zelenka shouted into his hand held communicator. "Try it now!"

"Dialling," Chuck's voice was calm as usual. "Nothing's happening."

"Hovno!" Radek gave her a despairing look and she thought bizarrely that she would have to get a Czech/English dictionary sometime soon.

"Wait a minute," Chuck's voice echoed through the communicator. "It's dialling, slow, but it's dialling."

Jennifer's legs gave way. Chuck must have kept the talk button depressed because she could hear the whine and clunk of the chevrons engaging, then the boom of the wormhole.

There was a few seconds of crackling static then thinly, faintly, she heard the best noise in the Pegasus galaxy, relayed through two communicators was the sound of Rodney complaining.

"It's about time! Teyla's sick, I need a jumper." There was a buzz and a crackle as Chuck spoke, "Did you get that?"

"I did," Dr Zelenka took the tank and started to run, Jennifer assumed in the direction of the jumper bay, leaving her sitting on the floor with no communicator and a shaky idea of where she was and how to get back to the medical bay. She started giggling, how ridiculous was she?

She forced herself to stop laughing and took a few deep breaths, feeling dizzy and thinking that stress had given her a stomach ache.

A sharp cramp stabbed through her belly and she groaned, she remembered the coffee she'd drunk with Rodney that morning in his lab. It had been too hot so she'd tipped some out and run in some cold from the tap in the next door lab. She groaned again; Rodney had drunk from a can. She forced herself to stand on jelly legs and started the long walk back to civilisation and she hoped eventually, the infirmary.


	55. Chapter 56

Part Five Into the Night (xiv)

John was prowling back and forth in the cave's entrance. Jenp had made a little conversation then lapsed into silence in deference to John's lack of enthusiastic sociability, his eyes travelled repeatedly from Teyla to John and back again like he was bouncing his thoughts between them.

John's headset crackled and his feet nearly left the floor. "Yes! Rodney?"

"John, gates open! Jumper's on its way and I've told them to come straight to you."

Sheppard finally let go of the breath he'd been holding, "That's great Rodney, we'll pick you up on the way."

"No," snapped Rodney. "Just let me know when the jumper clears the gate, don't waste time."

"Okay, thanks." John turned; rolling his shoulders to get rid of the tension cramps and went to check on Teyla's vitals. Her pulse thudded under his fingers slow and steady, aside for a greyish tinge to her skin she looked simply asleep.

"We can give you a ride down the hill," he told Jenp without looking at him.

"No," said Jenp simply.

John stood up and frowned down at the old man. "You want to walk? It would be safer to come with us."

Jenp shook his head gently and smiled. "Can't go back down, my soul belongs here now." His smile stretched and his eyes softened, John thought with regret, but the expression was gone almost instantly. His smile widened to a wicked, happy grin and his eyes twinkled.

John goggled at him; of course he remembered what Teyla had told him about the Tipikan's beliefs but it hadn't occurred to him what Jenp had actually _done_. He pushed a hand through his hair, making the top stand up in cockatoo tufts and ridiculously reminding him that he needed a haircut. "Look, I respect your beliefs but you know that your soul won't really come out of your body if you walk down the hill, so come on." He hunkered down in front of the old man, placing a hand on his knee and shaking him gently.

Jenp shrugged. "So you believe, but your soul is your problem," he grinned again, "my soul is mine." He shifted, settling more comfortably on the floor. "I chose to walk up the hill," his eyes laughed up at John. "When you're as old as me maybe you'd walk up the hill too?"

John opened his mouth and closed it, looking around the cave as if he could find the right argument written up on the walls. "Look, don't think I don't appreciate you coming because if you hadn't Teyla would," he puffed out his cheeks, "Teyla would be dead. Probably," he added. "But I'm not going to let you sit up here and starve when I can have you down the hill in thirty seconds. So, come on." He slipped a hand under Jenp's elbow. "Our ride will be here in a minute, we'll sort this out when we get to the bottom. Or you can come to Atlantis for a while; if you're so sure that your soul is stuck up here then travelling through a gate shouldn't be an issue."

The warmth drained out of Jenp's eyes so fast it froze John; he found himself snatching his hand away from the old man's elbow as if it had given him ice burns.

"You will _not_ take me _anywhere_," said Jenp. It wasn't the quaver of an old man, it was the bark of someone who knew how to command. "I am in the right place and when my body dies my soul will be where it belongs, with the soul of my wife and my daughter who died before she was born and my son who died when the river flooded and my two grandchildren who fell in the canyon and my cousin who died when the forest flamed." The old man punctuated every lost relation with a jab of his finger. "And everyone else who I have lost and all my ancestors until the beginning of this world. And," his voice rose without the slightest tremor, stating a fact, not pleading a case and John knew that to argue anymore would be pointless, "you will not take that away from me. You will not condemn me to nothingness without those I love."

John opened and shut his mouth, his voice lost somewhere. He stared into the man's old, faded eyes and they were steady on his, immovable. "Okay," he said softly, "I can't make you come with me, or at least, " his mouth quirked but there was no true humour in it, "I could but what would be the point?"

Jenp nodded decisively. "There would be none," he said with dignity and a glimmer of returning humour. "You bring me down, I walk back up, if," he said, head on one side, considering, "my people don't stone my empty body until it my breath is gone too."

John sagged. "Thank you for coming to help Teyla." He dropped a hand onto the old man's shoulder and squeezed.

Stones rattled in the entrance of the cave; a worried looking Lieutenant appeared blocking the light and was joined by someone else carrying a stretcher. "Colonel?"

John stood up, "Time to go."


	56. Chapter 57

Part Five Into the Night (xv)

Two attacked at once, Amelia managed to lose of one shot before the first animal was on her, bowling her over. She clawed at its eyes and managed to wriggle away.

She couldn't find Ronon's gun but her hand closed the remains of her club; she started to spin around and then jerked to a halt so violently that she lost her footing and fell onto her side, slamming her head against a rock.

The animal had her by the hair.

It had clamped its jaws around her ponytail and it was tugging, trying to drag her away.

Amelia screamed and swung the club, she couldn't get a good angle and it glanced across the animal's rump, not bothering it at all. The already splintered stick broke, leaving her with a thick, ten inch splinter in her hand.

She stared at it stupidly for a second. It slid in and out of focus, split into three and then reassembled itself into one small hand clutching a rough, wooden dagger.

She needed to be sick.

She slid a few inches, dragged by her hair and screamed again.

Over the animals shoulder she could see the fuzzy outline of Ronon; one of the animals had him by his uninjured leg while he scrabbled, bellowing and arm outstretched for his gun.

_Again _the animal yanked at her hair and the pain focussed her. She swung her arm back, twisted as far as she could strangling on her own hair and slammed the splinter into its neck with all her strength.

It shrieked and let go, collapsing with its paws scrabbling. Amelia didn't register the arterial spurts that splattered across her face; she dived forward, ignoring the pain as the animals death spasms raked claws across her belly she scrabbled for Ronon's gun. Finally, she had it and fired wildly in the direction of the animal dragging Ronon away.

She collapsed face down in sticky fur, wet dog smell taking her back to her childhood and walks by the river with her black Labrador Murray.

She raised her head because the memory, or was it the smell made her feel sick. Murray had been in the river just before the four by four hit him. She'd buried her face in his neck, wet dog and blood.

Ronon's face swam towards her and then drifted away; he was trying to get up and baying in fury because he kept falling back down.

She flopped onto her back, wondering when she'd burned herself because there were bars of pain across her belly.

There were shouts and lights; Amelia blinked fuzzily, it was all coming from so far away. Ronon must be moving away from her because his shouts were getting distant and deep. He was a foghorn and she was sailing away. It was ridiculous because she was by the river not the sea. Murray wasn't breathing anymore and the four by four was driving back with its headlights blazing.

The engine was roaring in her ears.

Lights swung through the darkness, big, drunk fireflies buzzing around the banks of the warm summer river.


	57. Chapter 58

_Here endeth the lesson…_

_The room was quiet, Ronon glared at Teyla from under an angry frown. "Stupid?"_

"_To be angry because someone has something you do not want is stupid, to not eat enough, sleep enough because of it is stupid, to push your friends away when you need them and when they try to help you is stupid. You were __**stupid**__ Ronon Dex. You would not listen to reason, so I decided to make you."_

_He growled softly. A thought occurred to him. "So, this thing you were longing for, the thing that made __**you**__ stupid," he enjoyed throwing the word back at her, "what's __**his**__ name huh?" He watched her reactions carefully._

_Her eyes did not even flicker. "It is not the Athlosian way to discuss the past Ronon Dex, or blame others for the pain it has given us."_

_That was a slap in the face, one to many on top of all his physical aches and pains. He groaned and flopped back, finally giving in to the desire to simply lay down and hurt. He was too tired to be angry anymore. He lay there at peace for a while, feeling his muscles sink into the floor._

_His eyes were just drifting shut when there was the sound of movement and Teyla came into view, standing above him, smiling warmly. _

"_I do not think you should sleep on the floor. You must be hungry; I have some soup in my quarters, would you like to eat with us?"_

_Ridiculously Ronon started to laugh, Teyla watched him do it patiently, still smiling, until he got it out of his system._

_He stuck out a hand. "Help me up?"_

_She grabbed his arm and heaved. "You do not need to ask."_

_Once they'd left the room Ronon stopped suddenly and lightly caught Teyla's arm._

_She turned and looked at him enquiringly. She was just Teyla again, the warrior goddess at rest, so he didn't feel uncomfortable asking. "What was it that made you realise, made you realise that you didn't really want him?" he saw her withdraw a little and backtracked quickly, "it I mean, the thing you thought you wanted?"_

_Teyla looked at him for a long moment, her eyes unfocussed, leaving him for a while as she travelled through her memories. He saw the flicker of life as she came back and the flood of sorrow in those warm, peaceful eyes._

"_I was with a friend; I was talking of the thing, regretting that I did not have it, making excuses for why I did not. We separated and a few seconds later she was dead. It awakened me, whatever pain I have given you today is nothing compared to that, but I think you already know that, you just needed reminding..."_


	58. Chapter 59

Par Six - Before the Dawn(xiii)

The birds head swung sharply around and it starred at the door.

Richard couldn't stop himself, he turned to look at it too.

There was a soft whump, whump, whump and Richard spun back to see his companion finally desert him. Climbing high with the strong beat of its wings it stilled and glided, down and out of sight.

There was a soft shushing noise and a woman Richard couldn't recognise due to a Hazmat suit was revealed.

He wrinkled his nose; why was there a strong smell of shampoo?


	59. Chapter 60

Part Five – Before the Dawn (ii)

Jennifer was already on a bed, attached to a drip and waiting for the meds to kick in when Dr Morris supervised the transfer of Teyla the infirmary. The Athlosian was still deeply unconscious, a granite faced John flanked her on one side with Rodney trotting along on the other, still plastered from the neck down in mud. His eyes, darting around the room found her and he froze.

"_Jennifer?_" he galloped to her side looking half way demented with panic.

She held out a hand to him. "Don't worry, I have the uncomplicated virus, I'll be fine."

Rodney took her hand and squeezed it. "You sure? Because Teyla," he swallowed, "she was nearly _screaming_."

Jennifer closed her eyes, trying to hold back tears; it was all too easy to imagine how much pain Teyla must have been in, she'd seen Juan. "Is she okay?"

"Better," Rodney squeezed her hand again and raked his other through his hair, showering clumps of mud and gravel onto the sheet. "The old guy who gave us medicine said she'd probably live but... well, I've never been so glad to get the gate open." He blinked convulsively as if he was fighting tears and his eyes flickered to the drip in her arm and the machines monitoring her vitals. He dropped her hand, grabbing her chart from the end of her bed. "Tell me what this means," he turned the chart and shoved it under Jennifer's nose. "You'd tell me if you were really sick wouldn't you?"

Jennifer sighed. "Yes Rodney," she squinted at the chart. "It says my vitals are strong, that the medication seems to be working and that my pain is being managed effectively. Essentially I will be _fine_."

"Okay, good." Rodney hooked the chart back on the end of the bed and sat down beside her, forcing her to scootch over. He grabbed her hand again. "Can I get you anything?" his eyes darted around. "Something to drink?"

Jennifer lifted his hand and dropped a kiss on his dirty palm. "No, nil by mouth until the virus clears I just need to rest."

"Okay," he frowned suddenly as if something had just occurred to him. "Why wouldn't the gate open? Chuck said something about some mould but I wasn't paying attention."

Jennifer's eyes were getting heavy. "Go see Zelenka, he's in the service tunnels somewhere, he'll explain."

"Okay," Rodney looked around harassed, as if he expected Zelenka to appear in a puff of smoke like the good fairy scientist. He shook himself and bent down to kiss her on the cheek. "You trying to get rid of me?"

"Only because I want to sleep," said Jennifer fuzzily. "It's the meds," she slurred, "just doing their job."

Rodney rolled his eyes with a put on prima donna pout. "Okay, but I'm going to get Dr Morris to call me if anything changes."

As her eyes drifted shut Jennifer felt the mattress lift and the stroke of his fingers on her cheek, she floated away smiling.

She was jerked awake some time later by the sound of running feet and the rattle of trolley wheels; two trolleys came barrelling into the infirmary and every medically trained person dropped what they were doing and ran to assist. Jennifer couldn't mistake Ronon, covered in blood, bellowing, trying to sit up and being held down with difficulty by the orderlies even as they ran him in. The other figure was such a mess of blood and hastily applied field dressings that she couldn't immediately identify them.

Long hair, full of bloody clumps hung off the back of the trolley. A few strands, mysteriously clean swayed lazily in the draft from the door and Jennifer saw the length and the colour and suddenly knew exactly who it was.

Dr Morris yanked his stethoscope out of his ears and started chest depressions. "She's in arrest," he said clearly and calmly.

Everyone abandoned Ronon on his trolley and he immediately struggled up, his eyes swung around and met Jennifer's.

She wasn't sure afterwards if he'd actually said anything, but the message was loud and clear. He was looking to her to save Amelia, trusting her and it put a lump in her throat because she very much wanted to justify that trust even though she was frightend that she couldn't. She swung her legs off the bed and leaning heavily on her drip stand made her way to the swarm around Amelia's bed.

"I've got a heart beat," said a nurse.

Dr Morris stopped depressions and stared intently at the heart monitor. Jennifer knew what he was thinking, Amelia was under her own steam but the beat was irregular, thready, it was too early to celebrate.

"Come on Amelia," she whispered, forcing herself not to interfere however much Ronon's eyes were boring into the top of her head. Dr Morris was perfectly competent, there was nothing she could do that he couldn't or wouldn't.

The tenuous, unsteady beep of Amelia's heart stuttered again and flat lined. Dr Morris yanked the cover of a syringe with his teeth while a nurse prepared the paddles. He didn't stop to check with his boss before he plunged the needle directly into Amelia's heart, but Jennifer nodded anyway.


	60. Chapter 61

Before the Dawn (iii)

Teyla woke up and found Kaanan sitting at her bedside, his hand gently encompassing hers. A crib was pushed up against the wall in which Torren was sleeping peacefully.

Her eyes met Kannan's for a long moment and an enormous sense of peace and _rightness_ enveloped her. His free hand came to rest against her cheek and his head dripped until their foreheads met.

They stayed like that for a long time.

She'd seen the ways in which the people from Earth demonstrated affection; it always seemed rough and confused to her, snatching at each other as if they were afraid the other might run away. So few of them were certain their affections, so few of them seemed able to give of themselves and find peace in it.

There was a soft cough at the entrance of her space, enclosed by curtains. It was John, Rodney and Ronon. Rodney with his hair sticking up in tufts and a pink, scrubbed look to his face that made her think that he was fresh out of the shower. John looking much as usual, still dusty, the expression in his eyes familiar, tucked away and hidden as he looked from her to Kaanan and back again. Ronon was almost frightening to look at; dressings covered his belly and wrapped part of each arm. He had two stitched cuts on his face and she could just see over the edge of the bed that one leg was in a cast from the knee down.

She took her hand out of Kaanan's and tried to push herself up into a sitting position. John took half a step forward but Kaanan seeing what she was trying to do helped her up, arranging her pillows so that her back was supported.

"What happened?" she rasped, running a dry tongue around her cracked lips.

"You were really sick," said John, simply, "But you're going to be okay thanks to Jenp and his herbal medicines. And what Dr Morris gave you," he added as an after thought.

Teyla nodded, "I will thank them both."

There was a flicker of something in John's eyes but her attention focused on Ronon who was constantly looking out of her space, towards the back of the Infirmary where the operating theatre was.

"Ronon?" she asked softly.

His eyes snapped around to hers and she saw fury and anxiety.

Rodney glanced at Ronon. "Uh, Ronon and Amelia Banks were stuck somewhere on the mainland with some predators and Amelia's in bad shape." He turned back and shrugged apologetically. "They got her heart started again and rushed her into surgery. Guess they shouldn't have sent anyone out there without checking the wildlife first."

Ronon stopped leaning on the end of the bed and swung fast into Rodney's personal space. "She did better that _you_ ever could," he snarled.

Rodney blinked at him, taking a half step back. "What? I didn't say anything about how she did," his puzzlement morphed to grievance. "But she _is_ a Gate Tech. I _have_ actually been in the field you know."

Ronon took a full stride towards Rodney and _loomed._ "When Michael tried to take Torren Amelia fought off a hybrid on her own and out there today she killed at least two animals with a _stick_." He stepped even closer to McKay who jumped back. "She can fight and she saved my life and I don't think anyone bothered to find out _who_ she really is and _what_ she can do."

"But…why would I," Rodney blustered his eyes darting around his friends faces looking for escape, for an explanation, for _anything_.

Ronon growled.

"Hey!" John slapped a hand on Ronon's upper arm, but stepped back when Ronon span shaking him off. He put his palms up pacifically. "Come on, you can't blame Rodney. It's not his job to know about everyone's background."

"Did you?" snapped Ronon, "Did you know she's done five years of training in," Ronon had to search for the right term, "Kick boxing? Did you know how brave she is and strong and smart?"

Rodney and John looked at each other, gaping, not knowing what to say.

Kaanan's voice made them all jump. "Amelia sometimes eats with us, she has sparred with Teyla and she has explained many things to us about Earth. I have a great regard for her, we both do," he said gently, his calm eyes moving from face to face.

Ronon looked from Teyla to Kaanan, made a noise close to a snarl, spun on his heel, and disappeared.

"What's eating him?" asked Rodney staring blankly at everyone.

"You know Ronon," John shrugged, but his expression was thoughtful. His eyes strayed towards Teyla's, to see what she thought of it all, but Teyla was looking at Kaanan and what wordless communication there was, passed between them alone.


	61. Chapter 62

Before the Dawn (iv)

Richard Woolsey finally made it to the Infirmary after checking in with Zelenka and the rest of his team.

Despite having spent most of the day sat in a chair he was surprisingly tired. Now he wanted to search down the members of his primary team and instinct told him that they would all be in the infirmary, so he turned his steps in that direction without bothering to check over the now functional comm. system. He was right; in fact he collided with one of them in the doorway.

"Ronon?" he instinctively caught hold of Ronon's arm but wasn't surprised when Ronon shook him off. Regardless he stepped into Ronon's path, ignoring the Satedan's growl.

"What is the matter Mr Dex?"

Ronon glared at him. "Nothing, I just need to get out of here."

Mr Woolsey's eyes dropped to the dressing on Ronon's stomach. "Somehow I don't think that's a good idea. Where is Dr Keller?"

"_Should _be doing Amelia's surgery."

"Amelia's hurt?" said Mr Woolsey sharply.

Ronon gave him a look that said clearly "_yes_."

"Come with me," said Richard. "We are going to find out what is going on."

Feeling as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders Ronon followed him. They found Dr Keller sitting on the edge of a bed clutching at her drip stand and looking as if a cough would knock her over.

Mr Woolsey was immediately concerned. "Shouldn't you be in bed Doctor?"

"Yes," said Jennifer with a strained laugh, "but Dr Morris is in surgery and everyone else is rushed of their feet. I'm staying up until…" she hesitated and blinked slowly, as if she'd lost the words somewhere, "until I know everything is under control."

"Very well," Richard glanced over his shoulder at Ronon who was making his back prickle with his proximity. "Are you able to give me an update on Miss Banks and Teyla."

Jennifer pressed a hand to her eyes to try and stop the room swimming, "Amelia was bleeding into her chest cavity, which retarded her hearts function and caused her blood pressure to drop dangerously low." she recited in a flat, exhausted voice. "She arrested twice on the trolley on the way into the infirmary but we were able to restart her heart and by pumping in fluids stabilised her for surgery. Dr Morris will have to find the bleed and repair any other damage and until I hear from him I cannot give you a meaningful prognosis or any idea of her other injuries."

Richard felt Ronon shift behind him and moved to bar him from approaching the Doctor. "And Teyla?"

"She needs to rest for a few days but baring complications I see no cause for concern. John and Kanaan are with her, Rodney left to help with the repairs."

Mr Woolsey nodded. "In that case I will return to my office and co-ordinate the repair efforts. Please ensure that I am kept up to date," he glanced over his shoulder again to where Ronon was still looming. He regarded him thoughtfully for a moment. "Is Mr Dex fit enough to leave the infirmary?" he asked Jennifer.

"If it was anyone else," Jennifer shrugged tiredly, "I'd keep him here, but it's mostly flesh wounds and we've done as much for his ankle as we can so…" she shrugged again, "we need the space and as long as someone keeps and eye on him…"

The corner of Richard's mouth turned up, "Good." He turned and looked up at Ronon meeting his eyes coolly. "Mr Dex, you're with me." Ignoring Ronon's baffled, angry stare Mr Woolsey made for the Infirmary's exit trusting that he would follow.


	62. Chapter 63

Before the Dawn (v)

"Make yourself at home," Mr Woolsey gestured to the chair in front of his desk.

Ronon dropped irritably into the chair and wriggled around trying to get comfortable.

Richard opened a desk drawer. "Would you like a drink? I have some canned juice, bottled water and something that purports to be totally tropical in here," he said with a glimmer of humour.

There was no softening Ronon, he shook his head impatiently.

"Very well," Mr Woolsey chose the orange juice and popped it open. "Tell me what happened out there."

The expedition commander sat easily through the telling, sipping his drink. Ronon as usual was brief and very much to the point; the closest he came to verbose was in describing Amelia's part in their adventure.

"She _clubbed_ it with a branch, _beat_ it with a heating unit and then _stabbed_ it with a _stick_?" Richard fought hard to keep the incredulity out of his voice.

Ronon frowned. "Not sure she did all that to one animal, but yeah. Did you know she took on a hybrid single handed when Michael was here?"

"No, I did not. She didn't tell me and as I recall your report was rather short on detail," Richard said softly. He fell silent, swivelling his chair around and staring at the wall for a moment, then swinging back. He laid his hands palm down on the table and leant forward. "I have a proposition for you, today's events have highlighted my concern that the technical members of the expedition team are lacking in survival skills."

Ronon almost launched himself from his chair, nearly overbalancing on his injured leg which didn't improve his temper. "Amelia doesn't lack survival skills. Without her I'd be dead."

The expedition commander regarded him calmly, "I have no doubt, but if you'd been in the woods with Zelenka…" Richard left that hanging.

Ronon made a derisive noise, but he dropped back into his chair.

Woolsey repressed a smile. "I'd like you to work with Evan Lorne _and _once she is better, Amelia ," he added firmly "to develop a programme for training the technical and medical staff in survival skills. Evan has the Air Force training and organisational skill, Amelia has an aptitude and an understanding of the technical staff and you have the experience," he let his smile show. "I want you to teach them how to find water, food, shelter and when necessary a sharp stick."

Ronon pulled a face. "How many do you want back alive?"

Richard raised an eyebrow. "I was hoping we'd start with the basics and progress to extreme survival in easy stages," he said acidly. "I may have concerns about the technical staff but they wouldn't have been allowed on the mission without a basic level of fitness and training."

"Not what I meant," Ronon shook his head. "I want to kill McKay every day."

Mr Woolsey's shoulders dropped and he chuckled. "That's hardly uncommon; that's another reason for involving Evan and Amelia, they can be buffers between you and your students."

Ronon waved an impatient hand. "Okay. Can I go? I want to get back to the infirmary."

Richard stared at him exasperated. "If you must, _but_ give the medical staff space to do their jobs."

Ronon was up and gone before he'd finished the sentence.

Woolsey sighed and sat back in his chair. Pondering this new survival training scheme he considered the probable outcome and allowed himself a few seconds to enjoy the idea before calling Zelenka for a progress report.


	63. Chapter 64

Before the Dawn (vi)

Dr Keller stired herself long enough to order Ronon out of the infirmary, but she did allow an orderly to set a chair for him in the corridor once it became obvious that Ronon was just going to stand there until he got news about Amelia.

Ronon sat in it, drank the bottle of water and ate the sandwich provided by the kindly and somewhat intimidated orderly and despite his best efforts fell asleep, his plastered leg sprawling out into the corridor to the danger of all expedition members passing that way.

Dr Morris woke him hours later; a stiff neck on top of his other aches and pains did not improve his mood.

"Miss Banks is out of surgery," said the Doctor, still wearing scrubs and with his face mask hanging around his neck. "We've repaired the damage and baring complications her prognosis is reasonably good."

Ronon glowered at him, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. "I want to see her."

The Doctor shook his head. "She's in recovery and I wouldn't expect her to wake up for hours. I may allow you to see her then, _briefly_," he emphasised. "In the mean time I would suggest you eat some proper food," he nodded to the sandwich wrapper on the floor, "_and _sleep in a proper bed. I will call you as soon as she's well enough to receive visitors."

Ronon crossed his arms and glared at the Doctor stubbornly, who made an impatient noise and stalked back into the infirmary.

Five minutes later Dr Keller came out into the corridor, wearing a hospital gown and leaning heavily on her drip stand.

"Enough Ronon!" she snapped. "I am _ordering _you to go to the Mess Hall and your own quarters in that order and if you don't comply I'll call John and as many military personnel as necessary to take you there. In medical matters I have _absolute_ authority and if you _won't_ behave yourself as a patient in the Infirmary then you _will _take my medical advice elsewhere. Are we clear?" She was glaring at him and rising up on her tiptoes as if she was holding herself back from strangling him.

Ronon stared at her incredulously, would she really risk a brawl in the corridor to get him to go away? The way she was glaring at him he almost believed she would. Something occurred to him and it almost made him smile.

"I taught you that," he said, gruffly.

"What?" snapped Jennifer impatiently.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh," Jennifer sagged and giggled weakly. ""Make them believe you can kill them." It works on Doctors I'm pleased to say, but," she gave him a dark look, "you're obviously immune."

Ronon did a one shoulder shrug, folded his arms again and gave her a pointed stare.

Jennifer drooped. "I miss our lessons," she said out of nowhere.

He froze.

Jennifer gave him an exasperated look and ran a hand over her face. "I'm tired and I'm sick of this so can we just get past it, I mean properly past it." She gritted her teeth and ignored his slight withdrawal, folded arms and grim expression that was warning her off. "I picked Rodney; don't say it didn't make you angry because I _will_ hurt you if you lie to me now."

There was a long, tense period of silence as they glared at each other. For once Jennifer's eyes did not drop.

"It did," Ronon finally said.

Jennifer's mouth dropped open; she blinked at him, shocked not at what he said but in sheer amazement because he'd said it. "But you're not angry now, at least not about me and Rodney?"

"No," said Ronon, economically, his lips twitching.

Jennifer blinked again. "Why not? I mean, I'm glad, but what changed?"

Ronon made an irritated noise in the back of his throat. "Teyla hit me until I saw sense."

Jennifer started to giggle; the giggles took her over until she was clinging to her drip stand to stop herself sliding to the floor. They finally subsided and she wiped her eyes and looked at Ronon who was watching her with one eyebrow up again and his mouth turning up at one side.

"Look," she said, squaring up to him, "tell me if I got this wrong but," she paused and bit her lip, "after the day we got trapped in the infirmary, well, we never spoke of it again and it wasn't like you were seeking me out so I thought," she shrugged, "we were trapped, we'd been talking about stuff, I thought it was just the situation, not anything real. Then," she hurried on, "I had that drink with Rodney and we started hanging out and all of as sudden there you were, every where I looked." She took a big breath. "But you never said anything, you never made a move…" she bit her lip. "Rodney did and I think that he did and you didn't for good reasons… Do you know what I mean?" she asked hopefully, looking up at him with pleading eyes.

Ronon nodded stiffly, then after a long pause relaxed and nodded again.

Jennifer sighed and let her eyes drop. "I miss us being friends," she said, simply.

Ronon just looked at her, not knowing what to say and really not wanting to say anything. "Woolsey wants me to do some survival training, working with Amelia and Lorne, you could come."

Jennifer was amused by the idea of Amelia and Lorne as chaperones. "Okay, that could be fun. Can I bring Rodney?"

Ronon shrugged. "If you don't mind me beating him up a little."

"Hmm, as long as it's just a little," she grinned at him. "Now I did mean it. Go eat and go to bed. Amelia's doing fine and I promise you'll be the first to know when she wakes up next to Mr Woolsey.

Ronon tensed, then relaxed. "Okay." He got up. "Do you want me to bring the chair back in?"

Jennifer shook her head tiredly. "No, leave it. I'm going to sit in it for a couple of minutes, it's the only way I'm going to get any rest."


	64. Chapter 65

Epilogue

Amelia didn't wake up properly for over forty eight hours.

Ronon got the call while he was pushing Moroccan Lamb and Couscous around his plate in the company of John and Rodney who were arguing about some movie that he'd never seen. Ronon was grateful to John; it was obvious he'd started the argument on purpose to keep Rodney off Ronon's back, because Rodney's new thing to moan about was the planned survival training and how much of an insult it was to his superior survival skills.

Abandoning his lunch Ronon sprinted out of the Mess Hall us much as was possibly with one leg in a cast, leaving a bemused Rodney and a smiling John in his wake.

There was an irritating wait in the infirmary; Dr Morris insisted that he should examine his patient properly before she received visitors. Jennifer, released from her bed but still feeling washed out, was supervising the Infirmary from her desk; she offered him a chair. "I'm sorry," she apologised. "I shouldn't have called you until Dr Morris said it was okay but I knew you wanted to know as soon as she woke up."

Ronon didn't answer, just glared at the bed shrouded in curtains. Evan Lorne caught his eye and waved weakly at him, he and the other suffers from Tipeka were likely to be in the infirmary for a few more days, though Teyla seemed to be doing a little better due to the Tipikan's medicines.

"Teyla might like a visitor," said Jennifer brightly after a few minutes. "She was a little withdrawn this morning; John had to tell her that some old man she knew from Tipika sacrificed himself to bring her the medicine that saved her."

Still Ronon stared steadily at the curtained off bed.

"Rodney was telling me that they've tried to dial Tipika at least twenty times with no luck," continued Jennifer. "They're beginning to think they've disabled the gate."

Ronon still didn't answer.

Jennifer gave up, sighing she joined Ronon in staring at the curtains.

Finally they opened. "You can go in for five minutes only," Dr Morris said sternly.

Ronon just nodded and stepped around him.

Amelia was a mess of tubes; though her skin was clean her hair was clumped and matted and he'd never seen anyone so pale. He stumbled to a halt, worried that he was imposing.

"I'm sorry," he waved a hand in her direction. "Just wanted to see that you were okay."

"That's alright," she said, her voice whispery and cracked. "Glad to see someone other than Dr Morris." She gestured weakly to the chair at the side of her bed. Her eyes followed him sleepily as he made his way awkwardly through the tight space and sat down. "I heard I died and came back to life," she said vaguely.

Ronon nodded. "You came back, that's what matters."

"Yeah, still got things to do," Amelia agreed, turning her head slightly on the pillow, her eyes loosing focus.

Ronon thought she was drifting off to sleep and started to get up, but Amelia's eyes sharpened and she reached out weakly for his arm. Her hand felt dry and fragile on his skin.

"Don't go yet."

Ronon settled back into his chair. "I can't stay long, Dr Morris said five minutes."

Amelia chuckled weakly. "He's no fun. What's been happening while I was asleep?"

Ronon opened and then closed his mouth; He didn't really know what had been happening around the city, his mind had been squarely focussed on the infirmary. Finally, he remembered something newsworthy. "Woolsey wants you, me and Lorne to run a survival course for the scientists."

She chuckled softly. "So my job is to stop you scaring them to death?"

Ronon's mouth twitched. "I guess."

Amelia sighed. "I hope he's got time to wait. Dr Morris tells me I'll be here for at least two weeks." Her eyes drifted shut for a moment, then opened again. "Come and visit now and then?"

"Yes," said Ronon, simply, "every day".

The End

**Thank you to Belmene and Marchforward for the reviews. Really, thank you, it makes all the difference.**


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